West Virginia University is an institution of higher learning based in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser; and a clinical campus for the University's medical and dental schools at Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston. Since 2001, WVU has been governed by the West Virginia University Board of Governors.^[1]

Enrollment for the fall 2007 semester was 27,120. The University offers 179 majors in 15 colleges and has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars^[2], including former WVU president David C. Hardesty Jr. The University also has produced 30 Goldwater Scholars, 18 Truman Scholars, five members of USA Today 's All-USA College Academic First Team, and two Morris K.Udall Undergraduate Udall Scholarship winners.^[3]

History

West Virginia University was founded in 1867 as a land-grant university with the help of the Morrill Act, and was originally known as the Agricultural College of West Virginia. The name was changed in 1868.

On April 13, 2007, the Board of Governors voted 16-1 to elect that Morgantown attorney Michael Garrison to succeed David Hardesty as the university's president.^[4] The Faculty Senate voted to work with Garrison, but approved a vote of no confidence in the search.^[5] Garrison began work in July; his appointment officially begins September 1, 2007.^[6]

Colleges and schools

West Virginia University is organized into 16 colleges or schools:

• College of Business & Economics
• College of Creative Arts
• Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry, & Consumer Sciences
• Eberly College of Arts & Sciences
• College of Engineering & Mineral Resources
• College of Human Resources & Education
• College of Law
• School of Dentistry
• Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism
• School of Medicine
• School of Nursing
• School of Pharmacy
• School of Physical Education
• Honors College
• Potomac State College
• WVU Institute of Technology

Forensics Program

In addition to its 15 colleges/schools, WVU also has a nationally recognized forensic science program. Originally created through a partnership with the FBI, the program is accredited by the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and is the official library holdings repository for the International Association for Identification.

The program focuses on these aspects of forensics:

• Forensic accounting and fraud
• Forensic entomology
• Bloodstain pattern analysis and Biological Evidence aging
• Criminology and Investigative Science
• Dactylography and Fractal Analysis of Fingerprints
• Forensic toxicology
• Forensic odontology
• Computer forensics and Database Research
• Forensic Textile Research

Forensic facilities include "crime-scene" houses and vehicles that can be altered and adapted to give students hands-on experience, as well as traditional laboratories and classrooms. A separate Criminology & Investigative Sciences major was later added.

Libraries

The West Virginia and Regional History Collection, the world's largest collection of West Virginia related research material, is in the Wise Library on the Downtown Campus. According to the university^[7], the collection includes over 4,500,000 manuscript documents, 30,000 books, 15,000 pamphlets, 1,200 newspapers, 100,000 photographs and prints, 5,000 maps, and 25,000 microfilms, oral histories, films and folk music recordings. It is often called simply the "West Virginia Collection."

In addition to this collection, the University maintains seven other libraries on its campuses (six of which are in Morgantown and the other in Charleston). These include the Downtown Campus Library, Evansdale Library, Health Sciences Library, Law Library, Math Library, Media Services, and the WVU Charleston Health Sciences Library. Collections include the Appalachian Collection, Book Depository, Digital Collections, Government Documents, West Virginia Historical Art Collection, Map Room, Myers Collection, Patent and Trademarks, Rare Books Collections, and Theses and Dissertations. West Virginia University libraries contain nearly 1.5 million printed volumes, 2.3 million microforms, more than 10,000 electronic journals, and computers with high speed Internet access.^[8]

In 2007, the Princeton Review ranked West Virginia University libraries 5th best out of 366 college libraries surveyed.

The university co-publishes, with the United Association for Labor Education, Labor Studies Journal.

Campus

The Morgantown campus comprises three sub-campuses. The original main campus, typically called the Downtown Campus, is in the Monongahela River valley on the fringes of Morgantown. The Evansdale Campus, a mile and a half north/northwest, on a rise above the flood plain of the Monongahela River, was developed in the 1950s and 1960s to accommodate a growing student population, since space for expansion is limited at the Downtown Campus. The Health Sciences Campus, in the same outlying area (but on the other side of a ridge), includes the WVU Health Sciences Center, Ruby Memorial Hospital, Chestnut Ridge Hospital, Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, UHA Physicians Office Center, Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute and, WVU Eye Institute, WVU Center on Aging, and WVU Children's Hospital.

PRT System / Campus Transportation

Because of WVU's distributed campuses (Downtown, Evansdale, and Health Sciences), the Personal Rapid Transit system, which has become a local showpiece, was built to link them. Boeing began construction on the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system in Morgantown, West Virginia in 1974. The unique aspect that makes the system "personal" is that a rider can tell the system which station is the destination and then he/she will be directed to a car that is bound only for that station.

The WVU PRT began operation in 1975, with U.S. President Nixon's daughter, Tricia, aboard one of five prototype cars for a demonstration ride.^[9]. The PRT handles 16,000 riders per day (as of 2005) and uses approximately 70 cars. [There was an interruption in service during the 1978/1979 school year to allow system expansion from the Engineering station to new stations at the "Towers" dormitories and the WVU Medical Center. During this time, WVU provided bus service between campuses.]

The system has five stations (Walnut, Beechurst, Engineering, Towers, and Medical) and 8.7 miles of guideway (approx. 14 km) track. The vehicles are rubber-tired, but the cars have constant contact with a separate electrified rail. Steam heating keeps the elevated guide way free of snow and ice. To board the PRT, a rider can pay a nominal fare at the station, or swipe his/her Mountaineer Card, which also functions as a school debit card, library card, and unlimited transit pass. Although most students use the PRT, this technology has not been replicated at other sites for various reasons, including the high cost of maintaining the heated track system in winter.^{[citation needed]}

The PRT cars are painted in the school colors (blue with gold trim) and feature the University name and logo on the front. Inside, the seats are light beige fiberglass and the carpeting is blue. Each car has eight seats with an overall capacity of 20 people, including standing room.

The National Society of Professional Engineers named the WVU PRT one of the top 10 engineering achievements of 1972,^[9] and in 1998 The New Electric Railway Journal picked the WVU PRT over Walt Disney World's monorail as the greatest people mover in the United States.^[9]

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency dubbed WVU one of the best workplaces for commuters.^[10]

In addition to the PRT systm, students can utilize University-operated buses (during limited hours) or take advantage of the community's Mountain Line, which operates every day into the early morning hours. Students can use their Mountaineer Card to ride the Mountain Line bus for free.

The Health Science Center also operates a shuttle service to help students, visitors and patients to get to and from the Health Science Center campus. Many non-University, private student housing communities in the area also operate a shuttle to campus/town and back to the housing community.

Each autumn, during Mountaineer Week celebrations, a special PRT car is placed in front of the MountainLair student union where groups of students participate in the "PRT Cram" with the objective of squeezing in as many people as possible (a record of 97 was set in 2000).

Residential Education

The Residential Education Program (ResEd), enacted in 1995, promotes "student success by easing the transition from high school to college and to personalize the freshman experience."^[11] During the Move-In or Welcome Weekend, returning upperclassmen volunteer to help the new students and are known as Residential Education HOTSHOTS. They help carry items, give directions, and answer questions.

ResEd and the WVU First-Year Experience (FYE) focus on the university's 14 residence halls. Each hall is assigned a resident faculty leader (RFL, pronounced "riffle") who oversees programming and lives in a house, usually next to the hall, where students hold Hall Council meetings and other events. Each hall is also assigned a residence hall coordinator (RHC) who works with the RFL and is responsible for daily operations, including enforcement of hall regulations. Along with these two positions are resident assistants (RAs) in most halls, graduate assistants (GAs)in some halls, and resident tutors (RTs) in Lincoln Hall. All three groups comprise students who have lived in the residence halls for at least one year and are responsible for the daily operations of one floor or area. In addition to this 24-hour staff, WVU Police Department officers are stationed in or nearby the halls.

All residence halls offer peer tutors or other tutoring programs to assist students having academic difficulties.

Athletics

The school's sports teams are called the Mountaineers and compete in the Big East Conference, a member of the NCAA's Division I. The school has teams in 13 college sports and has won several national championships, including 13 NCAA Rifle Championships as of 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Mountaineer sports were started in 1891 when a group of students organized the first football game at the school.^{[citation needed]}

Notable athletes from West Virginia University include Stan "The Man" Boskovich, Jerry West, Sam Huff, "Hot Rod" Hundley, Rod Thorn, Joe Stydahar, Jeff Hostetler, Jim Braxton, Major Harris, Dan Mozes, Jerry Porter, Kevin Pittsnogle, Marc Bulger, Avon Cobourne, Mike Vanderjagt, Todd Sauerbrun, Adam "Pacman" Jones, wrestlers Greg Jones, Nate Carr and Mike Mason, Georgann Wells (first female player to register a dunk in a collegiate basketball game),^[12] Amos Zereoue, Quincy Wilson, Chris Henry, Mike Gansey, and Joe Herber.

Party Image

For many years now, West Virginia University has made a reputation for being ranked as one of the top party schools in the nation. Attempts by school administrators has been unsuccessful to remove WVU from this list. In 2006, Playboy magazine released its Party School list and stated "WVU did not make the list, it is unfair to compare a professional with amateurs." In 2007, WVU topped the party school list released by The Princeton Review, making it almost every year for the past decade. ^[13]

Former WVU President David Hardesty leaves office with WVU maintaining the same image, despite his attempts to "combat the party school image of the past." ^[14] Changing the WVU culture is unlikely, and many other Universities which annually make the list do not take a such extreme approach to the image. WVU most recently expelled students for "rowdiness" during the NCAA basketball tournaments. ^[15].

School administrators continue to overlook the attraction factor of the so-called party image. Approximately 43% of the student body is from outside West Virginia, hailing from states such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia. ^[16] In the past five years, WVU has broken all enrollment figures, with 4,700 freshmen entering the 2007 school year. ^[17] The image of WVU has had a significant factor on the increasing enrollment numbers. It has also maintained a significant revenue increase for the University itself, as about 2 in every 3 in-state student receives the Promise Scholarship. This scholarship pays full-tuition at WVU for any in-state student that completes high school with a 3.0 GPA. The out-of-state student body has a significant impact upon the University drawing much needed dollars into the State of West Virginia. On average, the median household income of a out-of-state student is 200% higher than that of a in-state student. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, West Virginia is the third lowest ^[18] in per capita income, ahead of only Arkansas and Mississippi. It also ranks last in median household income. ^[19]

Student newspaper

The Daily Athenaeum, nicknamed the DA, is the 10th-largest newspaper in West Virginia^{[citation needed]}. Offered free around campus, it generates income through advertisement sales. The paper began in 1887 as a weekly literary magazine, with writing, editing and production taken over by the newly formed School of Journalism in the 1920s. In 1970, the paper split from the School of Journalism and became an independent campus entity governed by the Student Publications Board. The DA was voted as the Princeton Review's 10th-best college newspaper in the United States in 2005, 15th in 2006, and 8th in 2007.^[20]

School traditions

Flying WV

West Virginia University's logo is known as the "Flying WV."

Mountaineer mascot

The Mountaineer was adopted in 1890 as the official school mascot and a new Mountaineer is selected each year during Mountaineer Week. Candidates must have at least a 2.5 GPA, write an essay about why they want to be the Mountaineer, and garner the most cheers during a designated home basketball game. The successful candidate is awarded the formal title of "The Mountaineer of West Virginia University." Although men typically are chosen, there has been at least one woman selected (Natalie Tennant). The new Mountaineer receives a scholarship, a tailor-made buckskin suit with coonskin hat, and a period rifle and powder horn for discharging when the football team scores. The mascot travels with the sports teams throughout the academic year.

"Take Me Home, Country Roads"

The John Denver song "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is commonly played at most home sporting events as well as other occasions on campus. In 1980, Denver helped dedicate the new Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, and performed the song as a sing-along with the crowd. It then became a tradition, after a victory, for fans to stay in the stands and sing it along with the football team.^[21]

Mountaineer Marching Band

The WVU Marching Band, nicknamed "The Pride of West Virginia," was formed in 1901 as an all-male ROTC band. It performs at every home football game and makes other appearances on- and off-campus throughout the year.

During its traditional pre-game performance, the band enters Mountaineer Field from end-zone tunnels to a spirited, 220-beats per minute "run on" cadence. The band plays several university songs and favorites including: "Fight, Mountaineers," "Mountain Dew," "Simple Gifts" (from Appalachian Spring), "West Virginia University's Alma Mater," "The Star Spangled Banner," "Country Roads," and "Hail West Virginia!" The band also forms several iconic images during its pre-game show including the Flying WV, WVU, expanding circles, and an outline of the state of West Virginia. Each season's pre-game show is unique.

WVU's marching band is one of the few to include a male baton twirler.^[22]

In 1997, the WVU band was awarded the Sudler Trophy by the John Philip Sousa Foundation.

Fight song

"Hail, West Virginia" is the university fight song. It was composed by WVU alumni Earl Miller and Ed McWhorter in 1915. The lyrics were written by Fred B. Deem, who later became a lawyer in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The Mountaineer Marching Band performs the second verse of "Hail, West Virginia" as part of its pre-game performance at Mountaineer football games.

Carpet roll

In 1955, Fred Schaus and Alex Mumford devised the idea of rolling out an elaborate gold and blue carpet for Mountaineer basketball players to use when taking the court for pre-game warm-ups. In addition, Mountaineer players warmed up with a special gold and blue basketball. The University continued this tradition until the late 1960s when it died out, but former Mountaineer player Gale Catlett reintroduced the carpet when he returned to West Virginia University in 1978 as head coach of the men's basketball team.

Notable alumni

See Alumni of WVU

Footnotes

References

• West Virginia University Official school site
• MSN Sports Net: West Virginia University Mountaineers Official Athletic [sic] Site

External links

• The Daily Athenaeum student newspaper
• WVU Mountaineers Net (sports fan site)
• Student Video Diary Project
• WVU Today WVU's news site