Brian Joseph, chairman of the West Liberty University Board of Governors, acknowledged members of faculty and staff at a recent BOG meeting for their contributions to the community.
“These are things our people do when they are not on our payroll to make the Wheeling area a better place,” he said.
“Vice President of Institutional Advancement Jason Koegler has worked with the Wheeling Symphony’s board of directors to help produce its strategic plan. Tammi Secrist, director of university engagement, serves on the board of Ohio Valley Connect, an organization that helps professionals make the connections to build their careers in our region.”
Prof. Keely Camden, dean of the College of Education, also serves on the board of the Children’s Museum of Wheeling, Joseph noted. He added that art professors Robert Villamagna and Brian Fencl played “key roles” in organizing Wheeling’s inaugural arts festival in August and in the downtown mural project.
Biology instructor Zachary Loughman, one of the nation’s foremost authorities on freshwater crayfish, also contributes his time and talents to Oglebay Institute nature camps in the summers, Joseph said.
“This represents just a small fraction of the people who are us, West Liberty University. This says something wonderful about our people here at WLU, and about our culture.”
At the meeting, representatives of classified staff presented to board members a summary of the many jobs they do on campus, from admissions to facilities maintenance to campus security. Beverly Burke, the employees’ representative to the BOG, explained the statutory basis for the classified staff system.
President Robin C. Capehart reported on new developments in academics and enrollment, stating that the recruitment of minority and international students, as well as students outside of the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, is improving. He said he anticipated that the W.Va. Higher Education Policy Commission soon would approve the university’s new undergraduate degree program in athletic training, and that new certifications – early childhood education, French education and gifted and talented education among them – are being offered by the College of Education.
“A high priority for us is the Learning Center, which offers remedial education to any student who needs it. This personalized attention will result in increased retention.”
He added that the proposed Advanced Academy of West Virginia, a program whereby high school juniors and seniors may attend classes at WLU’s Highland Center and earn college credits, will enhance the prestige of the university. He said he will be presenting the program to HEPC in the coming weeks.