The editorial staff of Whetstone, Fairmont State University’s undergraduate arts and literary journal, will host Whetstone Night, the launch party of Issue 34, on Monday, May 11.

The event will be held in the Ruth Ann Musick Library Multi-media Room A from 6-8 p.m. and will include contributor readings, a slide show of art work and a chance to pick up a copy of the issue, as well as light refreshments. This event is free and open to the public.

Whetstone was founded in 1995. The student editorial staff publishes high quality writing of all genres, as well as art of all media. The current editor staff includes: Caitlin Bonnette, Chris Dowell, Liz Dang, Andrew McCoy and Josh Fitzgerald.

Students who choose to join the editorial staff can hone their writing, editing, photographic and graphic-design skills in a professional setting using advanced computer technology, as well as earn credits. Students should watch their e-mail for a call to attend an informational meeting about joining Whetstone in fall 2015.

Fairmont State University’s outstanding faculty members were recognized on Wednesday, April 29, during the Recognition of Faculty Achievement for their exemplary efforts throughout the 2014-2015 academic year.

“It’s wonderful to have an event like this where we can all come together to celebrate the good work faculty are doing,” FSU President Maria Rose told those gathered in the Falcon Center conference rooms. “Fairmont State truly is set apart by this tremendous faculty. While we can tout an excellent faculty-to-student ratio, as compared to larger institutions, that statistic only becomes meaningful when we consider the quality of our faculty. I consider myself fortunate to be part of this institution and consider all of you colleagues and friends.”

The event was hosted by the Faculty Development Committee, the Office of Academic Affairs and the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Funding for the awards and grants is provided by the Office of Academic Affairs and the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc.

“Our program recognizes members who are recipients of awards or grants promoted and publicized by the Faculty Development Committee and the Office of the Provost. These awards are to honor outstanding faculty, as well as encourage faculty research and professional development. Thanks so much to all members of the Fairmont State Foundation who so generously support faculty achievement. We appreciate it, and our students do, too,” said Dr. Denise Lindstrom, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education and Chair of the Faculty Development Committee.

The following faculty members were honored at the event: Dr. Andreas Baur, William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence; Dr. Paul Reneau, Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award; Dr. Robin Payne, Faculty Recognition Award; Dr. Rhonda Sanford, Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Fellow Award; Dr. Gwen Jones, Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Grant; Ryan Frost, Outstanding Adjunct Award; Dr. Jennifer Myers, Excellence in Academic Advising Award.

The following faculty members were recognized for their promotion to Associate Professor and received Tenure: Jason Bolyard, Hugh Costello, Alexis Hicks, Dr. Jennifer Myers, Dr. Adam Podlaskowski, Michael Ryan, Ashley Shroyer and Dr. Sam Spears. The following faculty members were promoted to Full Professor: Dr. Gwen Jones, Dr. Tad Kato and Kirk Morphew. The following faculty members were honored with Emeriti Status: Dr. D. Stephen Haynes, Dr. Tulasi Joshi, Dr. Susan Kelley, Chuck Manly and Dr. Mary Meighen.

Dr. Andreas Baur, William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence

The William A. Boram Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes full-time faculty at Fairmont State for outstanding achievements, unusual dedication or accomplishments in teaching. Dr. Andreas Baur, Professor of Chemistry in the College of Science and Technology, was nominated by his students for the award.

Lindstrom presented him with the award and gave the following remarks: “According to his students, Dr. Baur goes above and beyond the call of duty to teach. They feel like he cares about them as individuals as well as students. One student explained that Dr. Baur does not demand that students memorize information for the exam. Instead, he employs a strategy called the ‘toolbox,’ an organizing strategy that helps students understand how chemical reactions and mechanisms are interconnected, which according to his students, makes chemistry seem less like a graduation requirement and more like a lens with which to view the world at large.”

The committee was most impressed with Baur’s commitment to improving teaching, not only in his courses but also in his program, Lindstrom said. “According to one of his colleagues, Andreas has accomplished a truly impressive amount of assessment driven curriculum and course development that spans the categories of teaching and scholarly activity. He is a steadfast champion of assessment in his program and he continually reminds his colleagues of the inherent value of assessment to improve courses and programs. Most importantly, he leads by example in closing the loop on assessments in his courses and brings useful data to inspire discussions about programmatic improvement,” she said.

A group of seven of his students attended the event to support Baur.

“When I entered the chemistry field, there were rumors about how each teacher was. Dr. Baur’s rumors were always the same: he’s strict, his classes are hard and they are impossible to get good grades in. Some of this is true. He is strict about deadlines, but so are all the teachers. His classes are hard, but that is why they are upper level courses. However, it is not impossible to achieve in his classes. If you listen to what he says, you will succeed. Dr. Baur has taught us so much, which now we can take with us and find a job and always be on time and know just because it is hard doesn’t mean we should quit,” said student Brittany Aragon.

Baur has been a faculty member at FSU since 2000. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Regensburg in Germany.

Dr. Paul Reneau, Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award

The Harold and Roselyn Williamson Straight Award honors and encourages innovative and distinctive teaching by faculty at Fairmont State. Lindstrom presented the award to Dr. Paul Reneau, Interim Associate Dean for the School of Education, Health and Human Performance and Professor of Exercise Science.

Over the past three years, Reneau has mentored more than 40 undergraduate students in completing their required research projects for their degree in Exercise Science. Of these 40 projects, 13 have been presented at regional or national conferences, 14 have published abstracts in international journals and two have been accepted for presentation at the 2015 American College for Sports Medicine national conference.

“Dr. Reneau’s commitment to his students goes beyond supporting research but is also found in his everyday teaching and advising interactions with students,” Lindstrom said.

Lindstrom read the following statement from one of Reneau’s students: “Dr. Reneau is as good as it gets. He is an all-around, top-notch professor, as well as everyday person. When sitting in his classroom, it is evident that he wants you to not only learn, but succeed. If he sees you walking around campus, he’s always the first to say hello, and if he has time, you can count on a comical conversation. Dr. Reneau really pushed me both semesters that I had him for class. While there were some days I didn’t think I would make it, there were others where he felt more like a confidant than a professor. Dr. Reneau certainly deserves to be rewarded for his incredible teaching abilities and all-around character.”

Reneau is a member of the graduate faculty. He earned a B.S. from West Virginia Wesleyan College, an M.Ed. from the George Peabody College of Vanderbuilt University and a Ph.D. from The University of Alabama. He has been an FSU faculty member since 2002.

Dr. Robin Payne, Faculty Recognition Award

The Faculty Recognition award is intended to honor a full-time faculty member who has engaged and inspired students to have original thinking and who has an active involvement and guidance in student projects. The award also honors the faculty for the capacity to reflect on action so as to engage in a process of continuous learning. Dr. Adam Podlaskowski, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, presented the Faculty Recognition Award to Dr. Robin Payne, Assistant Professor of History in the College of Liberal Arts.

“The Faculty Recognition Award is given to honor excellence in teaching and to encourage continuing efforts to excel. Recipients of the award have demonstrated a sustained, energetic and successful commitment to teaching, as well as having shown personal attention and care in advising students. The recipient of this year’s award has been an asset to her students and colleagues; and as her nomination letter points out she, ‘makes it a point to make herself available to all students who may be struggling with her class. She goes as far as to actively seek out a student who may need help and ask them if there is anything she can do,’ ” Podlaskowski said.

Payne earned a B.A. and M.A. from Washington State University and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been a faculty member at FSU since 2012.

Dr. Rhonda Sanford, Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Fellow Award

Dr. Amy Sidwell, Assistant Professor of Community Health Education, presented the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Fellowship to Dr. Rhonda Lemke Sanford, Professor of English. The award will assist Sanford’s travel to Ireland to present a scholarly paper at an international literary conference and to research at several of the foremost research libraries in Great Britain the week after the conference.

In June 2015, she will present her paper, “The place of the Amazon(s) in Spenser’s ‘Faerie Queene’ ” at the Fifth International Spenser Society Conference, The Place of Spenser/Spenser’s Places, at the University of Dublin and Dublin Castle, Ireland. She will present at the session, moderate a session and attend paper sessions and plenaries with some of the top international scholars of the 16^th century poet, Sir Edmund Spenser. She will have the opportunity to visit Spenser’s home, Kilcomen Castle in County Cork. Sanford also will use the libraries at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, University of Dublin, Trinity College and the Public Records Office to continue her research into the real lives of unwed mothers and illegitimate children in Renaissance England.

A member of the graduate faculty, Sanford earned a B.A., M.B.A. and M.A. from the University of Colorado at Denver and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She has been an FSU faculty member since 1999. She has been awarded two Faculty Development Grants, two West Virginia Humanities Commission Grants, a Folger Shakespeare Library Grant and a sabbatical, as well as a Provost Grant and a grant from the Office of Undergraduate Research. She is the author of the book, “Maps and Memory in Early Modern England: A Sense of Place” (2002).

Dr. Gwen Jones, Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Grant

Dr. Amy Sidwell, Assistant Professor of Community Health Education, presented the Fairmont State Foundation, Inc. Grant to Dr. Gwendolyn Jones, Professor of Education in the FSU School of Education, Health and Human Performance.

Jones’s funded project is focused on providing undergraduate teacher education students with a professional presentation experience at the Southeast Regional Conference for the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) that is held in Durham, N.C., in April. The conference is within driving distance from Fairmont State University and affords students an opportunity to both present their work and experience the conference proceedings at an affordable price in both money and time.

Jones received the Faculty Recognition Award in 2013-2014. She joined the faculty in fall 2003. Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Eastern Connecticut State College, a master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Connecticut and an Ed.D. from West Virginia University in Curriculum and Instruction. She received teaching certification from the West Virginia Department of Education in 2003.

Ryan Frost, Outstanding Adjunct Award

The Faculty Development Committee presented the Outstanding Adjunct Award to honor excellence in teaching and to encourage adjunct faculty's continuing efforts to excel. The award is given to faculty members who have demonstrated a sustained, energetic and successful commitment to teaching. Lindstrom presented the award to Ryan Frost.

Frost is an adjunct instructor of percussion in the Music Department of the School of Fine Arts. He enjoys working with all students but especially non-music majors. Frost says he firmly considers it his responsibility to expand all students’ knowledge of interest in music and to broaden their appreciation of the arts in general. Among other accomplishments, he has developed the curriculum that led to the establishment of a campus African Drum and Dance Ensemble, which had its first public performance last fall. He also collaborated with psychology professor Dr. Tad Kato by leading a drum circle during one of Kato’s classes to help students understand how playing music together can develop listening, cooperation and leadership skills.

Frost is dedicated to supporting diversity on campus. “Last fall at a meeting of the West Virginia Music Teachers Association, he chose to play a piece from the Middle East using a drum from Saudi Arabia. According to one of his colleagues, Frost was surrounded by international students from Saudi Arabia who were thrilled to hear an instrument with which they were familiar being played so well by an American,” Lindstrom said.

Dr. Jennifer Myers, Excellence in Academic Advising Award

The Award for Excellence in Academic Advising is presented to honor the demonstrated excellence and commitment that academic advisors play in the education, personal development, and success of their advisees. This year’s award winner is Dr. Jennifer Myers, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice in the College of Liberal Arts.

“From her nomination letter, it is apparent that Dr. Myers is proactive, knowledgeable, compassionate and understanding, and that she customizes her advising based on the experiences, needs, goals and considerations of her advisees,” said Pam Stephens, Coordinator of Academic Advising and the RBA Program, who presented the award.

Stephens read the following quote about Myers from a student: “Dr. Myers went out of her way to inform her advisees of the policies of the University and especially the program. Even before we would meet face to face, she would e-mail changes in program requirements in a manner that was understandable and effective. She has a remarkable personality that offers students comfort and ease, and she is virtually reachable at any time. She is always extremely swift when sent an e-mail, and many times those e-mails are sent during nights and weekends. I know that she cares because her e-mails are sent from her personal phone, meaning that she took time from her personal schedule to ensure that my education was on track.”

Myers has been an FSU faculty member since 2009. A member of the graduate faculty, she is also the director of the M.S. in Criminal Justice program. She earned her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. from West Virginia University.

A total of 1,022 students have been named to the Dean’s List at Fairmont State University after completing the spring 2015 semester.

Dr. Christina Lavorata, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, has released the Dean’s List and the President’s List to recognize high-achieving students for their academic distinction. Full-time students who earned a 3.4 or better grade point average for the fall 2014 semester are named to the Dean’s List. Full-time students achieving a perfect 4.0 grade point average are named to the President’s List.

School of Graduate Studies: President’s List

Stacie Aliff, Nicole Allison, Nathaniel Arnold, Brittany Bailey, Stephen Baldwin, Elizabeth Bowman, Michael Carpenter, Emily Crow, Shannon DeWitt, Gene Dodd, Crystal Dotson, Anthony Ellis, Michael Gallimore, Jeremy Gouzd, Stephanie Guzik, Kelsey Hall, Jessica Harmening, Sean Harwell, Teya Henthorn, Sheena Hershman, Miranda Jackson, Kimberly Kettler, Brenda Lamkin, Heather Leep, Tiffany Martin, Trent Moats, Taylor Myers, Rochelle Nestor, Dominique Nuzum, Courtney Phillips, Nina Price, Michelle Raines, Alyssa Scarbrough, Marshal Sherry, Savanna Shuck, Shae Strait, Andrew Thorne, Alisha Vincent, Emily Wagoner, Karl Weidhaas, Whitney Westfall, Jacob Wickenhofer, Sophia Youngs.

School of Graduate Studies: Dean’s List

Cassie Annan, Daniel DeVaul, Diana Ellis, Cullen Hencke, Matthew Jernigan, Mallorie Judy, Carolanne Keim, Jessie Long, Helen Milbourne, Corey Orban, Ann Post, Thomas Scott, Teresa Sestito, John Spears, Daniel Strosnider, Renee Ullery, Alexander Voldeck, Marissa Wilmer.

President’s List

Johnna Akers, Meshal Almuzaini, Adam Anderson, Elizabeth Arnold, Olivia Ashcraft, David Banister, David Bannister, Alissa Barnes, Michael Barnes, Derek Barnett, Amber Basnett, Ashley Bassel, Erin Bean, Daphne Beckwith, Jacob Bell, Jodie Bennett, Cassidy Berens, Leslea Blackshire, Nicole Bland, Heather Blankenship, Sarah Blosser, Zachary Bodkin, Aneva Bohon, Wayne Bourbeau, Kaitlin Brancato, Kelly Brett, Jennah Brinegar, Morgan Brooks, Chloe Brown, Michayla Brown, Zachary Buchanan, Jacob Buckland, Kasie Buckley, Bethany Buckner, Michael Byrd, Jill Cable, Laurie Caldwell, Hannah Carpenter, Lauren Chase, Zachary Chestnut, Krista Chicknell, Kylie Clatterbuck, Daniel Clay, Cody Cleavenger, Natalie Clelland, Casey Clutter, Caitlin Cockrell, Kathy Collins, Hannah Compton, Nancy Confalone, Andrew Cook, Kristina Coombs, Derrick Corns, Sarah Cory, Lorie Countryman, Marissa Cox, Ashley Crandall, Michael Cuppett, Timothy Curtis, Rachel Cutlip, Benjamin Daily, Yen Dang, Velicia Darquenne, Caitlyn Davis, Kaitlynn Davis, Amanda Dawson, Brenda DeBastiani, Kayla DeBolt, Brandon DeFebbo, Grant Delancey, Shealyn Delancey, Sona Delawder, Antonio DiDomenico, Jason Dingeldein, Katelin Dunlop, Andrew Edwards, Sharlyn Egress, Garrett Elam, Rachel Elliott, Amber Estok, Gina Estok, Mary Evans, Trevor Fancher, Brianna Fealy, Daniel Fernandes, Spencer Flanagan, Kylie Ford, Shanece Forge, Jason Frazer, Tyler Gahr, Sarah Garcia, Allison Gay, Ronald Gibson, Kristy Gore, Aja Gosper, Amber Gower, Rebecca Goydel, Bruce Greeley, Curtis Griffith, Sara Guidi, Hallie Gunnoe, Connor Haberland, Osama Hadadi, Raven Haddix, Breanna Hafer, Mitchell Haines, Mary Hall, Derek Hamilton, Jennifer Hanlin, Gage Hannah, Jonathan Hannigan, Ashley Hans, Shelby Harman, Sean Harris, Shannon Hartnett, Frankie Hinzman, Vanessa Hissam, Ashley Hoffmaster, Grant Holbert, Thairon Holler, Megan Howard, Amber Howdershelt, Charity Huber, Kelly Humphreys, Amy Hyde, Shelley Idleman, Kaitlynn Jackson, James Jesmer, Crystal Johnson, Shawn Johnson, Jonathan Jones, Philip Kahly, Andrew Kapper, Darian Kearns, Alexander Keefover, Kayla Keefover, Crystal Kelly, David Kennedy, Kayla Kerns, Laken Kiddy, Kaylee Kirkpatrick, Travis Kirtner, Ethan Knopsnider, Thomas Kovack, Sam Lacaria, Linsey Lamb, Ruth Lamp, Alexzandria Lane, Angie Lane, Melissa Layfield, Jessica Leech, Jessica Lego, Kaetlynn Lipinski, James Logue, Lindsey Losh, Faith Lough, Hannah Ludwick, Dale Lyons, Melissa Mann, Ashley Martin, Sarah Martin, Tyler Martin, Bruno Martinez, Hillary Martinez, Sharman Martinez, Elizabeth Masters, Taylor Masters, Jillann Mayle, Joshua Mayle, Garrett McCurdy, Resa McGlumphy, Erin McKown, Kayla Mikush, Brian Miller, Martin Miller, Sarah Minor, Hanif Mirza, Jasmine Moore, Emily Moorehead, Ruby Morris, Kalee Murphey, Kelsey Musgrave, Alisha Myers, Dominic Myhalsky, Nathan Napier, Aaron Nelan, Haley Nelson, Hannah Nelson, Nicholette Nelson, Michelle Nestor, Taylor Nichols, Anniwaer Nijiati, Rachel O'Dell, Miranda Oliverio, Caleigh Osborne, Hyeyeon Park, Sara Park, Elizabeth Parker, Cheyanne Parks, Alicen Patton, Julian Pecora, Rebecca Pendry, Sierra Perry, Lacey Peterson, Melissa Phillips, Paige Phillips, Stephen Phillips, Janalee Poe, Tyler Poff, Sophia Porco, Briana Pudsell, Sean Rafferty, Justin Ramsey, Ethan Ratkovich, Logan Ratliff, Alicia Reece, Jessica Reed, Andrea Richmond, Justin Richter, Jamie Riddell, Veronica Rine, Ryan Robba, Lee Roccio, Brandon Rohrbacher, Brandon Roth, Jeffrey Rush, Nicholas Rush, Daphne Ryan, Brandey Scarberry, Robert Schrader, Kelidanne Schuchardt, Ryan Scott, Tyler Scott, RaeAnn Secrist, Tyler Sensibaugh, Adam Shaffer, Vincent Sheeler, Jared Sigley, Joseph Simmons, Kathryn Simon, Kayla Simpson, Taylor Skelton, Jordan Smith, William Soles, Angela Spatafore, Debbie Stahl, Brandy Stebbins, Lisa Steffich, Chloe' Stephens, Roberta Stevens, Christina Strader, Sissy Stubbs, Raye Sullivan-Trippett, Alyssa Swiger, Grace Templeman, Alexandria Terwilliger, Christy Thompson, Caitlyn Tobin, Rachel VanOsdol, Christopher Vance, Hannah Vasicek, Hope Vasicek, Bruce Veltri, Erin Vilar, Carl Wahler, David Walker, Alexander Wallace, Rebekah Watson, Ashley Webb, McKenzie Weese, Maria Westfall, Thomas White, Jacqueline Whiteside, Olivia Wiley, Brandy Wilmoth, Travis Wilson, Elizabeth Wimer, Ann Marie Witkowski, Amber Wooten, Kenzie Wright, Mary Yankie, Cody Zagar.

Dean’s List

Zachary Adamczyk, Makenzie Adamek, Lucreatia Adams, Clint Aikins, Ammar Al-Awami, Mohammed Alanazi, Sultan Alanazi, Eisa Alanezi, Alexis Alastanos, Jenna Alastanos, Zuhair Albuazizah, Sulaiman Alduraywish, Riyadh Alkulaib, Alhumaidi Almutairi, Jillian Amos, Jesse Anderson, Jade Angeline, Brittany Aragon, Alyssa Arana-Garcia, Destini Arbogast, Lane Arbogast, Jordan Armstrong, Mackenzie Arthur, Samantha Ash, Rex Ashley, Stephanie Ashley, Louis Assaro, Jeffrey Audia, Ryan Audia, Catherine Bach, Aleah Backstrom, Deanna Bailey, Alexander Baird, Casey Baird, Jacqueline Baker, John Ball, Lacey Ball, Patrick Ball, Rachel Ball, Cole Ballard, Alex Barb, Kylee Barnard, Mark Barnett, Aaron Barnette, Jared Barr, Katelyn Barr, Sarah Barr, Munkhbayart Batsaikhan, Cayla Bayles, Timothy Bayne, Ashleigh Belfiore, Neely Benline, Emily Bennett, Kailey Bennett, Jessica Berg, Gabrielle Bergmann, Jeffrey Bias, Kristina Bikoulova, Maura Blake, Holly Blankenship, Abbigail Blosser, Christopher Blosser, Breanna Blot, Caroline Bohach, Emily Bolinger, Ethan Bolton, Tammy Bolyard, Josiah Bond, Martin Borror, Rachel Bowman, Jacob Boyce, Lauren Brewer, Cortney Bright, Kendra Bright, Brennan Brooks, Emily Broughton, Chyna Brown, Hannah Brown, Nicholas Brown, Samantha Brown, Logan Brusak, Craig Buchanan, Emily Buchanan, Sabrina Buhagiar, Whitney Burnside, Lacey Cale, Alexander Campbell, Elisabeth Campbell, Joseph Canterbury, Shawn Carlton, Devin Carpenter, Brandon Carr, Alexis Cartagena, Allison Carvelli, Claudia Castro, Callie Cathell, Angelica Chase, Gabriel Childers, Chad Christenson, Amber Cinalli, Mackenzie Cira, Danika Clark, Lawrence Clark, Matthew Clemens, Brian Cleveland, Colton Cogar, Regina Cole, Jesse Colebank, Kayla Coleman, Chelsea Collins, Emily Collins, Sean Collins, Jacob Combs, Brandi Connor, Adrianna Constable, Maura Conti, Robert Conti, Bradley Cox, Curtis Crabtree, Emily Crane, Sarah Crewdson, Gregory Crickard, Matthew Crislip, Mariah Cunningham, Brodie Currence, Nicole Currence, Abby Daetwyler, Taylor Daft, Jochebed Danby-Cobbina, Gabrielle Danner, Kevin Darlington, Kellie Davis, Samantha Davis, Sara Davis, Shawn Davis, Tyler Davis, William Davis, Haley DeBerry, Juanita DeBerry, Anna DeLong, Laura DeWalick, Brooklyn Defenbaugh, Jessica Dellagatta, Darcy Delligatti, John Dent, Philip Dent, Seth Devault, Danielle DiCarlo, Luka David Dilas, Jacob Dillinger, Jessica Dixon, Morgan Doerr, Sean Doherty, Candice Doub, Christopher Dowell, David Dryden, Alyssa Duckworth, Chelsie Dunn, Shauna Durant, Taylor Durst, Lauren Dzielski, Payden Eckleberry, Brody Efaw, Vicki Elam, Timothy Elbert, Alexander Elliott, Patrick Ellis, Gabrielle Etter, Shawn Evans, Cora Faby, Brooke Fadeley, Caleb Fancher, Canon Fancher, David Farmer, Jessie Feather, Bethany Fedio, Kayla Ferrell, Allie Fetty, Brent Field, Catherine Fiorini, Shawn Fisher, Sheena Fisher, Seth Fitzwater, Kaylee Flanagan, Alissa Fleming, Leo Fleming, Jessica Flesher, Sirena Flesher, Amber Fluharty, Arden Fox, Virginia Fox, Kyle Francis, Elizabeth Frederick, Seth Freeman, Mary Freiburger, Caitlin Friend, Steven Fulaytar, Jolene Fullen, Christopher Furbee, Jessica Furda, Taylor Gadd, Cameron Gallaher, Kaitlin Gates, Alexandro Gialone, Marquez Gibson, Krista Gillis, Katie Glover, Kristi Goe, Colton Goff, Gusty Golden, Carolyn Golden-Burrows, Bethany Gorman, Zachary Gower, Ashley Graham, Jordan Graham, Shawna Graham, Philip Griffin, Abigail Griffith, Samantha Grim, Tyler Gross, Tyler Groves, Jesse Grubb, Thomas Guempel, Danielle Guthrie, Brandon Haggerty, Ryan Hall, Hannah Haller, Lauren Hamilton, Alexandria Hamler, Alicia Hammond, Kellie Hammond, Ashley Hamrick, Sheri Hanberry, Alyssa Hanisch, Janna Hardinger, NaTasha Hardy, Emily Harman, Deborah Harold, William Harper, Mackenzie Harrison, Emily Hart, Abby Hartley, Erin Harwood, Amanda Hashman, Amin Hassan, Donna Haught, Ashley Hawkins, Dakota Hawkins, Gary Hayes, William Hays, Joseph Helmick, Alexander Henderson, Autumn Herbst, Skylar Herod, Krista Herron, Briana Hershman, Christina Hess, Scott Hessler, Dorian Hetzel, Daniel Hevener, Anne Hewitt, Elyssa Hibbs-Loughery, Drew Hill, Justin Hill, Tiffany Hillery, Brooke Hinerman, Nicholas Hinkle, Jessica Hirschkorn, Colby Holleran, Teala Holmberg, Emily Holmes, Shaniah Holtz, Anita Honeycutt, Morgan Hornsby, Macy Houck, Kelsi Hoult, Travis Howard, Daniel Hudson, Chloe Huffman, Audra Hull, Taelor Hunter-Roberts, Michael Hurt, Justin Hyre, Walter Ingram, Brandon Jackson, Mark Jefferies, Kyle Jenkins, Robert Jesmer, James John, Bryce Johnson, Dakota Johnson, Erika Johnson, Michael Johnson, Evan Jones, Jodie Jones, Ashley Jozwick, Jennifer Jozwick, Myung Hee Jung, Aaron Kast, Ashley Keith, Chelsea Keith, Michael Keller, Dominique Kelley, Erica Kelley, Joseph Kelley, Alyssa Kelly, Mitchell Kelly, Bailey Kershner, Mary Key, Colter Kincaid, Mark Kisner, David Klug, Lauren Knight, Mattison Koch, Mitchell Koch, Nathan Kolar, Pasko Komadina, Peyton Konchesky, Liana Kopelov, Patricia Kovach, Ashley Krause, Lesley Kuffour, Levi Kyer, Candice LaBenne, Jordan Lacy, Sierra Lamb, Isaac Lambert, Andrew Lamkin, Kenneth Lamp, Sarah Landis, Kerensa Larew, Chelsi Latocha, Maggie Lawless, Whitney Layton, LeeAnn Leary, Tierney Leary, Bradley Ledsome, Seung-ha Lee, Michael Lemley, Hannah Lenhart, Todd Levitan, Adam Lewis, Christopher Lewis, Jacklyn Lewis, Sophia Libonati, Ashley Limer, Greg Lloyd, Charles Loar, Emily Lohr, Ethan Long, Phillip Longnecker, Jordan Losh, Connor Loudin, Tyler Loudin, Ashley Lowe, Eric Lowe, Leonard Lucas, Paige Lucas, Andrew Lyon, James Mackey, Ashleigh Magee, Benjamin Male, Ashley Malone, Andrew Maltba, John Manchin, Renee Mandy, Amber Mann, Taylor Marsh, Austin Martin, Gabriella Mascaro, Erika Maskil, Rachel Masters, Brandon Mathis, Melinda Mauzy, Justine Maxey, Laura Mayhew, Shante Mayle, Joshua McClain, Vanessa McClung, Makenzie McClure, Stacy McCord, Andrew McCoy, Kathleen McDiffitt, Amber McDonald, Austin McFee, Mykelti McGaffic, Tyler McGee, Andrew McGilton, Daniel McGuffey, Makayla McGuire, Cynthia McIntire, Diane McKee, Corey McMillen, Jessica McPherson, Chelsea Mcie, Makala Meadows, Adam Meeker, Dominik Mensah, Cassidy Messenger, Ashton Meyers, Alexia Michael, Brooke Mick, Taylor Mihm, Megan Mike, Amber Miller, Lindsay Miller, Kaitlyn Mills, Sami Miltenberger, Nicholas Minutelli, Jacey Mitchell, Jade Mitchell, Jonathan Mitchell, Ria Mitchell, Shayne Mitchell, Brandon Moats, Jared Moats, Samira Mohamed, Bailey Mohr, Damien Monell, Saige Mongold, Dakota Moore, Haley Moore, Randy Moore, Virginia Moratti, Devin Morgan, Benjamin Morris, Montana Morris, Rachel Morris, Scarlett Mowery, Maddie Mullenax, Britany Mullins, Joshua Musgrove, Amanda Musick, Alex Myers, Eric Myers, Jessica Nestor, Katelyn Nestor, Dylan Nicholas, Carolyn Nolan, Daniel Nolte, Caitlin Norwish, Derek Nuzum, Charles O'Brien, Kenneth Oiler, Courtney Oliver, Julia Oliveto, Kayla Olsen, Brianna Owens, Jamie Paletta, Abigail Palmer, Bayley Palmer, Sara Parks, Austin Parsons, Sarah Parsons, Tyler Pate, Timothy Patrick, Nancy Patterson, Laiken Paugh, Alisha Pearcy, Kimberleigh Pearcy, Jennifer Perkins, Hatti Phillips, Lauren Phillips, Isaac Pifer, Emily Pingley, Kyle Ploucher, Kari Plybon, David Poling, Simon Poling, Zachary Porter, Victoria Postlewait, Mackenzie Powell, Chelsea Price, Jordan Price, Brooke Prichard, Alison Pritt, Jeffery Pritt, Emily Puskarich, Alisia Queen, Abigaile Quinn, Taylor Raby, Zachary Randolph, Kyleen Reckart, Brian Reed, Bethany Reese, Daniel Reitz, Thomas Retton, Joshua Rexroad, Rebecca Rexroad, Amanda Reynolds, Haley Richards, Tiffany Richards, Christine Ridenour, Bradley Riffee, Brandon Riffee, Gerald Riffle, Samantha Riley, Brittany Rimmer, Kayla Rinehart, Danielle Ritter, Daisy Rivera Torres, Christopher Roach, Hannah Roberts, Laine Roberts, Sara Robinson, Sarita Robinson, Hailey Rogers, Annie Rollins, Joshua Romeo, Lisa Romeo, Meredith Ruetty, Amanda Ruffner, Hannah Rux, Nicole Ryan, Brian Sagasti, Justin Sage, Matthew Saghy, William Sampson, Ryan San Julian, Phillip Sands, Kyle Sandy, Aaron Sanford, Haley Santmyer, Athena Sayrie, Justin Schmidt, Sarah Schmidt, Samantha Scritchfield, Levi Senger, Asim Shaar, Bailey Shade, Nicholas Shaffer, Brooke Shambaugh, Marissa Shanholtz, Kristin Shank, Julia Shemaitis, Tyler Sheppard, Brittany Shields, Brooke Shockey, Vanessa Short, Kelcy Shreves, Devin Shriver, Amanda Sigley, Derek Silski, Samantha Silva, Cara Simms, Breanna Sines, Lex Singleton, Brent Six, Amanda Skidmore, Crystal Smallwood, Tiffany Smathers, Cassandra Smith, Charles Smith, Christopher Smith, Heather Smith, Kaitlyn Smith, Loraine Smith, Nicole Smith, Shaun Smith, Tanner Smith, Trey Smith, Joseph Snopps, Natalie Southern, Kennidy Souza, Alyssa Sowards, Matthew Spiker, Logan Sponaugle, Melissa Spring, Amy Stahl, Ryan Stephenson, Ashtyn Stevens, Adam Stevenski, Jessica Stewart, Randall Stickley, Emily Stoneking, Michael Stonestreet, Faith Stout, Jakob Streyle, Brittany Strother, John Stump, Alyssa Suan, Kayla Summers, Jordan Swiger, Samira Swisher, Sommar Swisher, William Sydnes, Allie Talkington, Jennifer Tate, Abagail Taylor, Alisa Taylor, Christopher Taylor, Erin Taylor, Jessica Taylor, Justin Taylor, Marcus Teamer, Jackey Teets, Amber Tennant, Harleigh Tennant, Joshua Tenney, Kaja Tenney, Nash Thomas, Derek Tinney, Tyler Tobin, William Tolbert, Sean Tracy, Patrick Trosch, Anthony Trupo, Cara Turley, James Turner, Jessica Turner, Joni Tyree, Nicole Uccello, Andrew Udell, Brandon Umstot, Takawira Ushendibaba, Elroy Van Horn, Jacob Van Meter, Krista Vassil, Cavelle Vaughn, Marc Vero, Angela Viscount, Makala Vore, Matthew Wade, Rachel Waibogha, Nathaniel Wajler, Candace Walker, Cody Walker, Kiana Wallace, Luke Wallace, Adam Walls, Geoffrey Ward, Akili Wartts, Troy Watkins, Sheila Watson, Noah Weber, Morgan Weese, David Wegman, Shammgod Wells, Mendi Wentz, Courtlyn West, Tabitha Whetzel, Marianna White, Tesla White, Kelsey Whitt, Jackie Wick, Lauren Wickenhofer, Bethany Wiles, Jacob Wiles, Brycen Williams, Elizabeth Williams, Jonathan Williams, Leanna Williams, Cassandra Willis, Katelynn Wills, Aaron Wilson, Justin Wilson, Michelle Wilson, Tyler Wilson, Anthony Wilt, Steven Winters, Tyler Withee, Samantha Withrow, Kaitlyn Witsaman, Elena Wojcik, Hannah Wolfe, AnDee Wood, Kimberly Woods, Macy Woods, Matthew Woodward, Rayleen Working, Breana Wright, Ariah Wyatt, Leah Yoho, Matthew Yost, Shannon Yost, Sara Younker, Alina Zakharava, Mishayla Zecco.

Fairmont State University, with a 120-acre main campus in Fairmont, W.Va., is part of the state’s growing high technology corridor. A city of about 19,000 people, Fairmont is close to larger cities and also to opportunities for outdoor recreation. Founded in 1865 as a private institution dedicated to educating teachers, FSU has a long history of academic excellence. At FSU, students find a wide range of fields of study with more than 80 four-year programs and graduate programs. With an enrollment of about 4,200, FSU is large enough that students find a vibrant campus life and small enough that they do not get lost in the crowd.

The mission of FSU is to provide opportunities for individuals to achieve their professional and personal goals and discover roles for responsible citizenship that promote the common good. FSU values scholarship, opportunity, achievement and responsibility.

Questions about this list may be submitted to Kathleen.Cox@fairmontstate.edu.

The Fairmont State University College of Liberal Arts honored its high achieving students during the fifth annual Academic Awards Ceremony at the end of the spring 2015 semester.

Dr. Deanna Shields, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts; Dr. Maria Rose, FSU President; and Bill Holmes of the Fairmont State Foundation Inc. presented greetings and congratulations to the students for their academic achievements.

Department of Behavioral Sciences

• Kathy Collins received the Outstanding Senior Psychology Student Award. A 1975 graduate of Liberty High School, she and her husband Jeff reside in Fairmont. She is a member of Psy Chi, Pi Gamma Mu and is a recipient of the Betty Jo Wright Scholarship.
• Krista Herron of Fairmont received the Outstanding Sociology Student Award. A 2012 graduate of North Marion High School, she is the daughter of Kevin and Patricia Herron. She is a junior Sociology major.
• Vanessa Short received the Betty Jo Wright Social Work Scholarship.

Department of Language and Literature

• Sean Doherty received the Carolyn Coakley-Hicherson Memorial Scholarship.
• Daphne Beckwith of Montrose received the Mary Esther and Dr. Byron Jackson Scholarship. She is a senior English major and a member of Sigma Tau Delta.
• Kaylee E. Kirkpatrick received the Mildred Mason Newcome Endowed Scholarship. A 2011 graduate of Lewis County High School, she is the daughter of Christopher Vankirk and Tracy Clark Alfred. She and her husband Brandon reside in Weston. She is a senior Secondary English Education major.
• Leah Yoho of Cameron received the Salvatore, Anne, Thomas, James and Giovanni Peluso Scholarship. A 2012 graduate of Cameron High School, she is the daughter of Ron and Becky Yoho. She is a junior English major.
• Eliza Cercone received the Christiane Buck Sweeney Award. A 2013 graduate of Clay County High School, she is a sophomore French major.
• Bethany Gorman received the Will Bridges Memorial Endowed Scholarship.
• Daniel Reitz received the Outstanding Student in English Award.
• Faith Lough received the Outstanding Student in English Education Award. A 2011 graduate of East Fairmont High School, she is the daughter of Troy and Camelia Kline. She and her husband Jacob reside in Fairmont. She has worked with Connotation Press under Dr. David Beighley for two years and has been a Writing Center Tutor under Dr. James Matthews since 2013.
• Bradley Riffee received the Outstanding Student in Journalism Award.
• Mariah Sommer of Wheeling was named Outstanding Spanish Student. A 2011 graduate of Bridgeport High School in Ohio, she is the daughter of William Sommer and Anna Hetrick. She is a member of the West Virginia Association of Young Children.
• Anna DeLong was named Outstanding French Student.
• Velicia Darquenne of Clarksburg was named Outstanding Writing Center Tutor. A senior English major, she is a member of Sigma Tau Delta and a 2011 graduate of Robert C. Byrd High School.
• Jessica Ralphsnyder received the First Year Writing Award.
• Angela Spatafore of Fairmont received the Upper Division Writing Award and the John Teahan Memorial Endowed Scholarship. A 2012 graduate of Notre Dame High School, she is the daughter of Louis and Deloris Spatafore. A junior English major, she is a PROMISE Scholar, works for the campus yearbook The Mound and has been on the President’s List.
• Martina Parrish received the Creative Writing Award.

Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center

• Christy Thompson of Barrackville received the Outstanding Student Service Award. A 2005 graduate of East Fairmont High School, she is the daughter of Kim Dawson and the mother of Elijah and Hyden Collins. A senior Accounting major with a Folklore Studies minor, she is a member of Delta Mu Delta.

Department of Social Sciences

• John Meadows was named Outstanding Criminal Justice Graduate Student. A 2006 graduate of Buckhannon-Upshur High School, he is the son of John and Lori Meadows. He and his wife Laura and their son Harlen reside in Buckhannon. He is a member of Alpha Phi Sigma and Pi Gamma Mu honor societies.
• Jade Angeline of Martinsburg received the Criminal Justice Achievement Award. A 2011 graduate of Hedgesville High School, she is the daughter of Andrew and Patrisha Angeline. A senior Psychology and Criminal Justice double major, she is fundraising chair for Alpha Sigma Tau and a member of Alpha Phi Sigma.
• Randall Stickley of Fairmont received the National Security and Intelligence Achievement Award. A 2012 graduate of Fairmont Senior High School, he is the son of Andrew and Regina Spencer. A senior Political Science and National Security and Intelligence double major, he is an Open Source Intelligence Exchange analyst, a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, Pi Gamma Mu, Phi Alpha Theta, president of the College Republicans, president of the Model United Nations student organization, a writer for The Nolton: Letters of Thought and Opinion and a Student Ambassador for the College of Liberal Arts.
• Darcy Delligatti of Grafton received the National Security and Intelligence Achievement Award. A 2011 graduate of Grafton High School, she is the daughter of Michael and Ronaune Delligatti. A senior Political Science and National Security and Intelligence double major, she is an executive officer for the Open Source Intelligence Exchange, secretary of the Model United Nations student organization and a member of Pi Sigma Alpha and Pi Gamma Mu.
• Sean Rafferty received the Political Science Achievement Award.
• David Kennedy received the William and Dorthea Barnes Prize in History. A 2011 graduate of Robert C. Byrd High School, he is a senior History major.
• Sean Harris received the Vince Palmer Scholarship.

Open Source Intelligence Exchange (OSIX)

• William Harper of Fairmont received the OSIX Certificate of Service. A 2011 graduate of Fairmont Senior High School, he is the son of William and Marla Harper. A senior National Intelligence and Security and Political Science double major, he is a member of the Model United Nations student organization, Pi Sigma Alpha, Pi Gamma Mu and College Republicans.
• Steven Winters, Bethany Moales and Samuel Smith received the OSIX Certificate of Service.

COLA Student Ambassadors

The following students were recognized:

• Thairon Holler, Jamie Riddell – Criminal Justice.
• Mariah Morris – English.
• Roger Braham, Tyler Poff – History.
• Ashley Webb, Darcy Delligatti – National Security & Intelligence.
• Randall Stickley, Julian Pecora – Political Science.
• Tyler Curfman, Ashley Joswick – Psychology.
• Lauren Phillips – Sociology.

For more information about programs in the College of Liberal Arts, visit http://www.fairmontstate.edu/collegeofliberalarts/.

Nine Fairmont State University students were inducted into the Beta Omega chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the National English Honor Society. The ceremony took place on Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center.

The following students were inducted: Christopher A. Dowell, Vicki R. Elam, Bethany P. Gorman, Ruth A. Lamp, Elizabeth W. Parker. Daniel J. Reitz, Brittany C. Rimmer, Angela R. Spatafore and Christopher J. Vance.

Dowell, whose hometown is Charleston, is an English major with a minor in psychology. Elam, from Clarksburg, and Rimmer, from Berkeley, are both Education majors with a concentration in English 5-Adult. Gorman of Bridgeport and Reitz of Mannington are also English majors with business and technical writing minors. Reitz is also majoring in Spanish. Lamp, from Morgantown, is an English major and has a minor in history, and Parker, a Weston native, is majoring in English. Spatafore, from Fairmont, is an English major and an information systems management minor. Vance, from Belington, is an English major and Spanish minor. This academic year’s inductees are all seniors.

Students who are considered for this honor must meet specific requirements. Each student must be nominated by an English faculty member, then perform at scrupulously high standards of excellence. A satisfactory GPA, professional behavior and steady progress toward a degree must be maintained.

“Membership in Sigma Tau Delta can open many professional doors, both inside and outside of the academy. We are lucky to have students talented enough to qualify,” said Dr. James Matthews, faculty sponsor of the Beta Omega chapter.

Sigma Tau Delta was established in 1924 to confer distinction for high achievement in the English language, literature and writing and to foster literacy and other aspects of the discipline of English. The Beta Omega chapter was organized in 1956 at Fairmont State.

Dr. Erin Hippolyte, Associate Professor of French and Coordinator of International Education and Study Abroad at Fairmont State University, traveled to Montreal to meet with colleagues at the Université de Quebec à Montreal (UQAM) on Sept. 14. 

In collaboration with Dr. James Natsis from West Virginia State University and sponsored by the Director of International Programs at the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, Hippolyte worked on initial steps to establish a four-week summer program in French language and Quebec culture that will be open to college students across the state. The six-credit program will run annually, beginning summer 2016. Details and registration information will be available soon.

“It is so important for students to gain international experience as part of their higher education. I am excited to be involved in these initiatives. For students who want to learn French in a global context that is safe and affordable, the Montreal summer collaborative program can make this a reality,” Hippolyte said.

International Education at Fairmont State brings together international students, study abroad, internationalizing the curriculum and faculty development. There are many ways to participate in the international community, on and off-campus. As Fairmont State works with the WVHEPC to build capacity in international education, Hippolyte has been involved in two other initiatives. This past summer, she attended the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) international meeting in Charleston, learning about security issues and procedures to keep our students safe while abroad. She receives daily bulletins about emerging issues and events that affect students around the world.

In addition, Hippolyte has been designated within the state’s J-1 Visa Consortium to request visitor visas for students and scholars who come to Fairmont State. She will pursue the next training level for those responsibilities in Charleston in October.

Kestrel: A Journal of Literature & Art is launching its 34th issue, a double issue that commemorates Fairmont State University’s Sesquicentennial. Aptly titled “Transformations & Teachable Moments,” this issue contains poetry, short fiction, essays, visual art and book reviews revolving around a central theme of history and important dates, public and personal, and their enlightening consequences, which are often surprising.

In honor of this special Sesquicentennial issue, Kestrel will be hosting events on Oct. 9 and 10. The celebration will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9, in Room 304 of Jaynes Hall with a panel discussion among visiting contributors on the issue’s topics followed by a question and answer session with students and community members.

From 5:30 to 8 p.m., contributors will read from their work at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center. The evening will feature a mix of poetry and fiction writers: Kathleen Furbee, Richard Hedderman, Daniel McTaggart, Nancy Takacs, Charles Tisdale and FSU alumnus William Kelley Woolfitt.

On Saturday, Oct. 10, from 2 to 4 p.m., readings will continue in downtown Fairmont at the Joe N’ Throw, 323 ½ Adams St. William Brown, Rick Campbell, Bill King, James Owens, Ellen McGrath Smith and Kestrel co-founder Valerie Neiman will each read their work.

Several of the visiting writers also will be available on Friday and Saturday for individual manuscript consultations with students or community members. For more information about manuscript consultations, including available student scholarships, contact Donna.Long@fairmontstate.edu.

Fairmont State’s 8th Haiku Death Match: New Blood Edition took place on Friday, Sept. 11, in the Ruth Ann Musick Library Multi-media Room A.

Unlike past competitions, this match featured contestants who had never before competed. The judges, however, were all past competitors. This year’s contenders were Zack “Count Zackula” Curry, Bessie “The Syllable Samurai” Detwyler and Linda “Dame of Death” O’Connor: Poetic License to Kill. Curry is Program Assistant in Department of Language and Literature, Detwyler is an admissions counselor and O’Connor is an Academic Labs Manager in the School of Fine Arts.

The haikus were judged by Charley “Poison Pen” Hively, Dr. Anne “The Dragon Lady” Patterson and Dr. Christina “The Godmutha” Lavorata, who won the previous death match and had the duty of relinquishing her crown to this year’s winner. Hively is a librarian, Patterson is Professor of Music and Lavorata is Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost.

As with every haiku death match, the haiku topics were written by audience members before the competition began and pulled out of a hat, dubbed the Death Hat, by the master of ceremonies, Dr. John “Dr. Zero” O’Connor. The original Death Hat went missing three years ago, but its absence was supplied this year by a Darth Vader mask donated to the event by Count Zackula.

The contestants had 90 seconds to write a haiku before presenting it to the judges. Theme music would be played during writing sessions to inspire the contestants and keep the audience entertained. Velicia Darquenne, an English major at Fairmont State, was the DJ for this match.

Linda “Dame of Death” O’Connor was crowned this year’s winner, with Bessie “The Syllable Samurai” Detwyler coming in second place.

“I think the Death Match is a delightful activity contributing to the community spirit of the University. It’s a great way for the students to get together, have a good time and still be surrounded with academia. I thought that the death match was quite good, and I’m very proud of my spouse,” said John O’Connor.

Dr. Elizabeth Savage, the founder of the Haiku Death Match said, “The Haiku Death Match, originally conceived as mere performance art, has become an exquisite expression of all that is good about FSU—the collective spirit, the ingenuity, the disregard for rank, the love of raunchy egalitarianism and the ability to think on our feet with energy and good will.”

The One-Room Schoolhouse, a Fairmont State University campus landmark, remains a visible symbol of the University’s continued focus on teaching and learning. Located near the Bryant Street Entrance to main campus, the museum is a significant artifact of regional and educational history.

As part of the Homecoming 2015 Sesquicentennial Celebration, Fairmont State and the greater community will celebrate the One-Room Schoolhouse Re-Dedication Ceremony at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20. A reception will follow at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center. Admission is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to park in the parking garage and to ride the Fairmont-Marion County Transit Authority trolley to the reception and back to the garage. At the Folklife Center, visitors can tour the Sesquicentennial exhibit titled “On a Hill by a Dream.”

“Fairmont State University’s roots reach back to the formation of public education in the state of West Virginia. We are proud to celebrate the University’s Sesquicentennial and to take this opportunity to salute our long history of providing high quality teacher education,” said FSU President Maria Rose.

The Oct. 20 ceremony celebrates a renovation project to restore the structural integrity and to refresh the historical building.

“Moving forward, the One-Room Schoolhouse will continue to preserve our history as a museum and will provide multi-disciplinary learning opportunities for Fairmont State students,” Rose said.

Omni Associates served as architect for the project with Allegheny Design Services as the structural engineer and Huffman Corporation as the contractor.

“All materials used in the project reflect the building’s original time period,” said Stephanie Slaubaugh, FSU Construction Manager. “The campus Physical Plant also put a great deal of labor into the project, purchasing, priming and painting the siding and constructing a wooden ramp that leads to the door of the building. Thanks also to the Road and Grounds crew who gave extra effort to make the landscaping look wonderful.”

In 1840 William Snodgrass erected a log building about 300 yards from his house for specific use as a schoolhouse and a church. Three separate school buildings occupied the same level, one-acre site over the next 100 years. The log school was succeeded by a frame building with board-and-batten siding of yellow poplar, painted a dark red. In 1871 the 23-foot by 26-foot white frame schoolhouse was built about two miles above Rymer on Warrior Fork Road.

With the establishment of the West Virginia Free Schools, the Snodgrass School ceased to operate as a subscription school and became part of the district school system, as Mannington District School Number 13. The school ceased operation entirely sometime in the 1950s, and in 1962 was moved to the campus of Fairmont State as a West Virginia Centennial project.

A bell tower was added to the original building, which was not meant to be an exact replica of the Snodgrass School but a museum showcasing the one-room schoolhouse tradition. Eleven county school systems in North Central West Virginia donated artifacts to the museum. Other gifts include a Franklin stove, McGuffey’s readers and spellers, Mitchell’s geographies, Ray’s arithmetics and other early textbooks.

The dedication ceremony for the schoolhouse, which was originally located on campus between Colebank Hall and the Science Building (now Jaynes Hall), took place on Oct. 20, 1962, as part of Homecoming and was attended by a number of former pupils and teachers at the Snodgrass School. The schoolhouse was relocated to its current location in 1992, and another dedication ceremony was held on Oct. 30, 1992. At that time, the statue of the teacher riding a horse by sculptor and Fairmont State faculty member Barry Snyder was added. The sculpture, intended as a tribute to the dedication of our early teachers, represents the spirit (but not the exact likeness) of Ethel Ferrell, who graduated from Fairmont Normal School in 1919. She rode “Bird,” a reddish brown, small riding horse, to the Smithtown school, where she taught the 1919-1920 term and fall term of 1920.

The National Security & Intelligence Program and the Open Source Intelligence Exchange at Fairmont State University are sponsoring “Bridging the Gap: Assessing Gender Imbalances in the National Security Field,” a panel discussion featuring industry experts.

Moderated by Dr. Robin Payne, Assistant Professor of History, the panel will feature B. Lynn Wright, Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence; Kathleen A. Reilly, Director for Cybersecurity and Special Missions for Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems; and Uyen Dinh, President of Win Strategies. The event will take place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in the Falcon Center third floor conference rooms, immediately followed by a reception. Students, faculty, staff and members of the community are invited to attend. Admission is free.

B. Lynn Wright is the Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence. In this position, she supports the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance/ Director of Naval Intelligence (OPNAV N2/N6) in delivering comprehensive substantive intelligence to Navy leadership, overseeing intelligence activities within the Navy, representing the Navy within the Intelligence Community, creating Naval Intelligence policy and performing policy oversight functions. She was appointed to the Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service in June 2013.

Wright has a background in operational and tactical intelligence support and strategic policy development experience in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Joint Staff, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Naval Intelligence, NATO (Afghanistan), theater commands and combat support agencies.

Her prior tours include: Office of Naval Intelligence (1985-1988), Fleet Ocean Surveillance Information Center Detachment CINCLANTFLT (1988-1992), Joint Task Force Four (1992-1994), Office of Naval Intelligence (1994-2001), National Security Agency (1995-1996), OPNAV N2 Staff (2001-2003), Office of Secretary of Defense (Under Secretary for Intelligence) (2003-2005), National Counter Proliferation Center (ODNI) (2005-2006), Defense Intelligence Agency/Joint Staff J2 (2006-2011), NATO/ISAF Afghanistan (2009), Joint Staff Afghanistan-Pakistan Task Force (2009-2011) and an external detail (2012-2013).

Wright graduated from Old Dominion University (1984, B.A. in political science), George Mason University (2000, M.A. in telecommunications) and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (2012, M.S. in national resource strategy). She has received awards from the U.S. Navy, the Joint Staff, NATO, DIA, the Secretary of Defense and a Presidential Rank Award (Meritorious, 2011).

Kathleen Reilly is Director for Cybersecurity and Special Missions at Raytheon Intelligence and Information Services. She was a professional staff member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) from 2001-2009.  She has been the principal staffer for all aspects of the CIA program (budget and operations) and has previously monitored the Military Intelligence Program (MIP).  She also served as an assigned staff member on the House Appropriations Committee’s Select Intelligence Oversight Panel (SIOP), which coordinates between authorizers and appropriators. She has served in the U.S. Navy on active duty and, presently, in the Reserves. Her Navy assignments have included electronic warfare, anti-submarine operations, counternarcotics and logistics. Reilly was in the first group of three women to perform aerial Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance operations for the Navy in Desert Shield/ Storm and was personally hand selected by Secretary of Defense for first-ever assignment of women destined to combat operations afloat (SECDEF waiver before Combat Exclusion).  In 2008, she was selected as the Navy Reserves’ Top Sailor of the Year.

Uyen (pronounced “Win”) Dinh formed Win Strategies, LLC, to support clients meet their government relations, public affairs, communications and media and marketing objectives.  Win Strategies is a woman-and minority-owned strategic consulting small business. With two decades of experience on Capitol Hill and private industry, Dinh guides clients through the intricate Capitol Hill, Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community and the Executive Branch processes. Her clients include U.S. aerospace and information services companies.

Most recently, she served as Vice President for Government Relations for GeoEye, Inc., the world’s premier commercial satellite imagery provider for geospatial intelligence from 2007-2013. In this role, Dinh led all government relations activities to include creating and executing annual and lobbying and communications strategies and other regulations affecting commercial satellite imagery. During her tenure, she developed and executed the government relations, communications, and marketing campaign that secured the company a $3.8 billion national security contract.

Prior to private industry, Dinh served as counsel on several U.S. House of Representative committees and offices to include: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and the Committee on Government Reform. In addition, she served as executive producer and host of “Our Generasian,” a local cable talk show focusing on Asian-American issues in the mid-1990s in the Washington, D.C., metro area. She also taught at the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy (formerly the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and belongs to the National Defense University).

Born in Saigon, Viet Nam, Uyen Dinh immigrated with her family to the United States in 1975. She graduated from James Madison University in 1993 and from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in 1996. She is a member of the Virginia State Bar.

Fairmont State’s National Security and Intelligence Program is designed to provide students with the tools they need to pursue careers in research or intelligence analysis. The Open Source Intelligence Exchange (OSIX) is the laboratory and applied research arm of the University’s National Security and Intelligence Program. Students working in the OSIX lab gather and analyze intelligence from open sources, including online discussion boards, social media and chatrooms, to identify and assess national security and law enforcement threats. For more information about the National Security and Intelligence Program, visit http://www.fairmontstate.edu/collegeofliberalarts/academics/national-security-and-intelligence-program.

FSU offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. For more information, visit http://www.fairmontstate.edu/collegeofliberalarts/academics/criminal-justice-program.

The Fairmont State University Department of Behavioral Sciences will host a 2015 Alumni Showcase on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

“This is the first time our department will have an event like this showcasing our Bachelor of Science alumni,” said Ann Shaver, Professor of Psychology.

The morning session from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the second floor Main Street area of the Falcon Center is open to all FSU students. Returning Behavioral Science alumni will be available at information tables to answer questions and provide program/agency information to all interested students. Alumni attending will represent such professional agencies as the following: Army National Guard; Children’s Home Society of West Virginia; West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals; MVA; Fairmont Youth Academies of West Virginia; United Summit Center; Genesis Youth Center; HOPE Inc.; Fairmont Regional Medical Center Department of Behavioral Medicine; Valley Health Care Systems; WVU Division of Equity, Diversion and Inclusion; FSU Counseling & Disability Services; CASA of Harrison and Marion Counties; Family Services of Harrison and Marion Counties; FSU’s MBA, Education and Criminal Justice Graduate Programs; WVU Social Work and Counseling Programs; and Marshall University’s School Psychology Program.

Junior and senior FSU students in the Department of Behavioral Sciences have been invited to attend a reception from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Falcon Center third floor conference rooms with the participating alumni, including a question and answer session beginning at 2 p.m.  “The question and answer session will include questions about graduate school concerns and advice for current students who hope to find employment in Behavioral Science fields,” Shaver said.

Fairmont State University students excelled at the recent Appalachian Regional Model Arab League (ARMAL) competition at Hollins University in Roanoke, Va.

At the competition, the FSU team represented Iraq. The two delegates in the Joint Defense Council, Randall Stickley of Fairmont, a Political Science and National Security and Intelligence major, and Nakoma Connolly of Fairmont, a Criminal Justice major, were awarded Distinguished Delegate commendations for their exceptional work on draft resolutions with several other universities (delegations).

Other FSU team members were Connor Haberland of Pomona, N.J., a Political Science and National Security and Intelligence major; Tyler Wilson of Elkins, a Political Science and National Security and Intelligence major; Dakota Moore of Ravenswood, a Political Science and National Security and Intelligence major; Drew Edwards from Fairmont, a Political Science and National Security and Intelligence major; and Julian Pecora from Clarksburg, a Political Science major.

Although the competition at Hollins University was the first foray into the MAL for Fairmont State, the delegation has been extended an invitation to a regional conference in March 2016. The next regional conference will be March 11-13 at Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C. Fairmont State will again be representing Iraq in the South East Regional Model Arab League (SERMAL). The delegation from Fairmont State will return to New York City in late March to compete in the Model United Nations representing the nation of Guinea Bissau.

A total of 1,208 students have been honored for their academic achievement at Fairmont State University after completing the fall 2015 semester.

Dr. Christina Lavorata, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, has released the Dean’s List and the President’s List to recognize high-achieving students for their academic distinction. Full-time students who earned a 3.4 or better grade point average are named to the Dean’s List. Full-time students achieving a perfect 4.0 grade point average are named to the President’s List.

School of Graduate Studies: President’s List

Stacie Aliff, Brandon Brown, Megan Carpenter, Michael Carpenter, Shannon DeWitt, Philip Dent, Michael Gallimore, Sean Harwell, Teya Henthorn, Stephanie Henthorne, Laura Hoggard, Jeremy Horvat, Rebecca Hutchinson, Brenda Lamkin, Heather Leep, Tiffany Martin, Angela Murray, Rochelle Nestor, Corey Orban, Courtney Phillips, Christopher Pratt, Kiley Radeski, Michelle Raines, Marshal Sherry, Amanda Smith, Shae Strait, Alyssa Swiger, Renee Ullery, Alisha Vincent, Alexander Voldeck, Karl Weidhaas.

School of Graduate Studies: Dean’s List

Nicole Allison, Amy Bess, Hannah Brown, Mollee Brown, Paige Buckhalter, Julia Campbell, Jennifer Cook, Leslie Gonzalez, Jayson Hamrick, Somi Jeong, Tammy Lacaria, Sarah Landis, Trent Moats, Brittany Morgan, Jacob Murphy, Teresa Sestito, Christopher Shreves, Elizabeth Snyder, Tyler Withee.

President’s List

Mariah Ack, Chase Alonso, Mackenzie Arthur, Emir Atilgan, Deanna Bailey, Jacqueline Baker, Rachel Ball, Crystal Barlow, Christan Barnard, Sarah Barr, Amber Basnett, Christina Batelli, Timothy Bayne, Daphne Beckwith, Kazelyn Bennett, Sean Berry, Mathew Bingaya, Benjamin Blair, Nicole Bland, Sarah Blosser, Zachary Bodkin, Ethan Bolton, Tammy Bolyard, Taya Bolyard, Harley Boyd, Taylor Bragg, Kendra Bright, Jennah Brinegar, James Britton, Jodi Brock, Morgan Brooks, Chloe Brown, James Buchanan, Jacob Buckland, Kasie Buckley, Zachary Burch, Timothy Burget, Whitney Burnside, Franklinn Carder, Cassandra Carley, Emily Carnell, Devin Carpenter, Alexis Cartagena, Kaitlyn Carter, Amber Cinalli, Natalie Clelland, Matthew Clemens, Molly Clingan, Anna Coffin, Samantha Cole, Kayla Coleman, Chelsea Collins, Megan Collins, Chase Connor, Amanda Corley, Sarah Cory, Ben Costello, Kevin Costello, Cecilia Cotton, Bradley Cox, Marissa Cox, Curtis Crabtree, Gregory Crickard, Eamonn Cronin, Holly Cunningham, Jochebed Danby-Cobbina, Yen Dang, Velicia Darquenne, Caitlyn Davis, Kaitlynn Davis, Amanda Dawson, Haley DeBerry, Josandra DeFazio, Justin Debusca, Brooklyn Defenbaugh, Samantha Delauder, John Dent, Antonio DiDomenico, Dustin Dilley, Jason Dingeldein, Krista Dixon, Sean Doherty, Colleen Dorsey, Victoria Dorsey, Sally Dotson, Katelin Dunlop, Larry Eakle, Kelsy Eaton, Evangeline Eden, Rachel Ellis, Jordan Ethier, Olivia Eubanks, Brianna Evans, Harold Fair, Canon Fancher, Trevor Fancher, Sarah Ferguson, Kristen Fetty, Julianna Findley, Sirena Flesher, Amber Fluharty, Hailee Foley, Michael Fountain, Jason Frazer, Christopher Ganoe, Michael Garrison, Christian Ghilani, Hannah Gilbert, Jordan Gray, Gage Gregory, Abigail Griffith, Curtis Griffith, Tyler Gross, Tyler Groves, Kira Guier, Madeline Gulan, Connor Haberland, Hannah Haller, Madeline Hamilton, Krista Hanshew, Shelby Harman, Sean Harris, Donna Haught, Dakota Hawkins, Haley Hefner, Alexander Henderson, Kelly Hernandez, Jennifer Herron, Daniel Hevener, Lakin Higgins, Savannah Hill, Robert Hinerman, Nicholas Hinkle, Vanessa Hissam, Casey Hittel, Grant Holbert, Thairon Holler, Joseph Holt, James Hotaling, Kelsi Hoult, Anna Hukill, Kelly Humphreys, Brandon Jackson, Kaitlynn Jackson, Amy Jeffrey, Kyle Jenkins, James Jesmer, Robert Jesmer, Crystal Johnson, Shawn Johnson, Jodie Jones, Presley Jordan, Katelynn Kabiru, Alexander Keefover, Chelsea Keith, Dominique Kelley, Kayla Kerns, Seungha Kim, Kaylee Kirkpatrick, Travis Kirtner, Jamie Knight, Nathan Kolar, Peyton Konchesky, Liana Kopelov, Tessa Krantz, Ashley Krause, Jordan Lacy, Chelsi Latocha, Michael Lemley, Todd Levitan, Taylor Long, Phillip Longnecker, Lindsey Losh, Leonard Lucas, Hannah Ludwick, Megan Lura, Brannon Lynch, Dale Lyons, Victoria Lyons, Andrew Maltba, Melissa Mann, Justin Marple, Preston Marsh, Taylor Marsh, Amanda Marshall, Ashley Martin, LeeAnn Martin, Tyler Martin, Hillary Martinez, Sharman Martinez, Blake Massie, Sienna Maunton, Wendy Maxwell, Laura Mayhew, Joshua Mayle, Halley McCarty, Jason McCleary, Savanna McCrobie, Garrett McCurdy, Jennifer McDaniel, Hailey McDonough, Derrick McElroy, Mark McKee, Nicole McLeod, Corey McMillen, Caleb Merisier, Makayla Metzger, Jena Michael, Daniel Miller, Hanif Mirza, Jonathan Mitchell, Damien Monell, Saige Mongold, Allison Moore, Tricia Moore, Virginia Moratti, Brian Morgan, Devin Morgan, Megan Moyer, Jasmine Murillo, Kalee Murphey, Macie Myers, Dominic Myhalsky, Nathan Napier, Haley Nelson, Adam Newlon, Taylor Nichols, Tina Nichols, Bernard Northrop, Olivia Ooten, Abigail Palmer, Bayley Palmer, Sung Hee Park, Cheyanne Parks, Laiken Paugh, Julian Pecora, Rebecca Pendry, Myranda Penrose, Sierra Perry, Lindsay Peters, Lacey Peterson, Melissa Phillips, Paige Phillips, Tyler Poff, Simon Poling, Sophia Porco, Brooke Prichard, Briana Pudsell, Jamie Pulice, Brandon Ralston, Kristy Rexrode, Amanda Reynolds, Andrea Richmond, Jamie Riddell, Molly Rinkevich, Louis Risher, Danielle Ritter, Brandon Roach, Grace Robinette, Sara Robinson, Lee Roccio, Brandon Rohrbacher, Emily Rohrbacher, Lisa Romeo, Brianna Rosnick, Nicholas Rush, Brooks Russell, Daphne Ryan, Phillip Sands, Kyle Sandy, Aaron Sanford, Dawn Sargent, Brigitte Satterfield, Madison Schell, RaeAnn Secrist, Tyler Sensibaugh, Bailey Shade, Adam Shaffer, Brooke Shambaugh, Kristin Shank, Vincent Sheeler, Hannah Short, Hillary Short, Kyrsten Shugars, Jessica Siders, Joseph Simmons, Amanda Simons, Kayla Simpson, Noca Singleton, Brent Six, Taylor Skelton, Adrianna Slaughter, Jordan Smith, Lana Solomon, Derek Somers, Angela Spatafore, Geoffrey Splendorio, Juliana Spradling, Kimberly Starrett, Kristin Staub, Victoria Stevens, Randall Stickley, Christina Strader, Rachel Strohmenger, Brittany Strother, Sissy Stubbs, Rebecca Sullivan, Raye Sullivan-Trippett, Audrey Sweeney, William Sydnes, Trang Ta, Megan Talbott, Samantha Tate, Jessica Taylor, Justin Taylor, Joshua Tenney, Haley Terango, Joseph Thomas, Mildred Thompson, Tyler Tobin, Erica Tracewell, Matthew Tucker, Richard Underwood, Kendra Urtso, Erica Uselton, Jordan Utt, Madison Van Meter, Rachel VanOsdol, Christopher Vance, Jessica Vincent, Carl Wahler, Faithlynn Walker, Elijah Warr, Ashley Webb, Noah Weber, Taylor Wells, Anna Westfall, Quentin Whitecotton, Kelsey Whitt, Benjamin Wilfong, Annelise Williams, Michelle Wilson, Tyler Wilson, Elizabeth Wolfe, Hannah Wolfe, Samantha Wolfe, AnDee Wood, Haley Wright, Shayla Wright, Mary Yankie, Shannon Yost, Aimee Zorik.

Dean’s List

Marissa Abe, Brock Acord, Dakota Adams, Lucreatia Adams, Jordan Adderley, Clint Aikins, Johnna Akers, Ammar Al-Awami, Mohammed Alanazi, Sultan Alanazi, Eisa Alanezi, Alexis Alastanos, Zuhair Albuazizah, Sulaiman Alduraywish, Dakota Alexander, Justin Allan, Alexis Allen, Edward Allen, Joel Alm, Meshal Almuzaini, Mohammed Alnahdi, Qublan Alqarni, Nicholas Alvaro, Jillian Amos, Jacob Andersen, James Anderson, Jesse Anderson, Trevor Andrews-Evans, Alicia Aracich, Nicholas Aragona, Destini Arbogast, Lane Arbogast, Jordan Armstrong, Rodney Ashcraft, Sakele Atayi, Amy Attoe, Faith Aube, Ericka Aversa, Taiwo Badmus, Heather Bailey, Alexander Baird, Casey Baird, Katie Baker, John Ball, Lacey Ball, David Banister, Alex Banko, Travis Barker, Kylee Barnard, Michael Barnes, Derek Barnett, Jamie Barnett, Laura Barnett, Jessica Barr, Makayla Barr, Nathaniel Barr, Autumn Bartles, Jordan Batten, Katherine Baughan, Janay Beamer, Erin Bean, Emilee Beckwith, Madison Beekler, Ashleigh Belfiore, David Bell, Jacob Bell, Jodie Bennett, Jessica Berg, Gabrielle Bergmann, Kayla Berkey, Tyler Berry, Jeffrey Bias, Leslea Blackshire, Maura Blake, Lindsey Bland, Christopher Blosser, Breanna Blot, Sydney Bock, Holly Bogdanich, Jacob Bolyard, Brittany Bonnett, Rachel Bowman, Ashley Boyce, Rebecca Boyce, Shelby Boylen, Dillon Bradley, Josh Bragg, Donald Bramer, Kaitlin Brancato, Faith Branham, Chelsea Breeden, Kelly Brett, Hayley Brewer, Brennan Brooks, Skyler Brooks, Chyna Brown, Nicholas Brown, David Brownfield, Jasmine Bruce, Brittiany Brumage, Bethany Buckner, Amanda Burns, Jared Burns, Sarah Bush, Bryson Butcher, Chelsey Butcher, Lynsey Butler, Michael Byrd, Jill Cable, Laurie Caldwell, Lacey Cale, Brittany Cameron, Christian Campbell, Iris Canfield, Jonah Cantrell, Morgan Carder, Justin Carey, Brodon Carpenter, Devanie Carpenter, Brian Carr, Zoey Carr, Claudia Castro, Dominic Casuccio, Savannah Catlett, Samantha Cavanaugh, Sydney Cavender, Zachary Cayer, Eliza Cercone, Tara Charles, Angelica Chase, Brett Chase, Maria Chase, Andre Chinnery, Paige Christopher, Timothy Cintron, Mackenzie Cira, Cullen Clark, Danika Clark, Naomi Clark, Jacob Clarkson, Kylie Clatterbuck, Cody Cleavenger, Amanda Cobb, Madison Coberly, Emily Coburn, Jennifer Cochran, Vincent Cochran, Jasmine Cogar, Madison Cogar, Roger Cogar, Corey Collins, Emily Collins, Sean Collins, Deidra Combs, Courtney Conley, Susan Cook, Kristina Coombs, Gabrielle Cooper, Karly Cooper, Matthew Copley, Derrick Corns, Kelsey Corwin, Stephanie Cottrell, Michelle Cottrill, Cori Cowan, Sierra Cowell, David Cox, Hana Cox, Mackenzie Cox, Emily Crane, Joshua Crawford, Taylor Crawford, Emily Crislip, Mitchell Cronin, Sarena Croy, Brodie Currence, Amber Curry, Hayden Curtis, Garrett Dailey, Benjamin Daily, Ryan Dalrymple, Kevin Darlington, Sara Davis, Tyler Davis, William Davis, Andria Davisson, Jessica DeBerry, Logan DeSellems, Laura DeWalick, Kalee Degler, Grant Delancey, Shealyn Delancey, Emily Delawder, Darcy Delligatti, Micah Deskins, Jessica Devericks, Jamie Diamond, Luka David Dilas, Jacob Dillinger, Conner Disotelle, Katie Dotson, Eric Dowdy, Christopher Dowell, David Dryden, Lacey Dulaney, Devin Dunigan, Chelsie Dunn, Chad Dutrow, Lauren Dzielski, Payden Eckleberry, Andrew Edwards, Elizabeth Edwards, Erika Edwards, Brody Efaw, Garrett Elam, Kody Elam, Rachel Elliott, Samuel Elliott, Alicia Erjavec, Morgan Escue, Bethany Eskridge, Gina Estok, Cora Faby, Brooke Fadeley, Fahad Fadil, Faris Fadil, Brianna Farnsworth, Eben Feaster, Jessie Feather, Jonathon Fedoush, Angelica Felvus, John Fenney, Zachary Ferguson, Abbey Ferrari, Abigail Fetty, Catherine Fiorini, Joshua Fitzgerald, Chandler Fitzwater, Seth Fitzwater, Spencer Flanagan, Raven Flanigan, Katlin Fluharty, Kylie Ford, Kristin Fowler, Arden Fox, Nathan Fox, Logan Frame, Devin Freeman, Hannah Freeman, Mary Freiburger, Kristian Fuchs, Jolene Fullen, Clarissa Funkhouser, Jessica Furda, Emily Galan, Erinn Gallaher, Lucas Gardner, Breton Gates, Allison Gay, Richard Gee, Ursula Gentilozzi, Brandon George, Alexandro Gialone, Rebekah Gibson, Ronald Gibson, Brianna Gill, Krista Gillis, Tristan Gilman, Amy Glasow, Colton Goff, Brian Gore, Bethany Gorman, Catherine Gorman, Zachary Gower, Rebecca Goydel, Jordan Graham, Michael Gray, Shanden Gregory, Philip Griffin, Jordan Grimmett, Olivia Gross, Katelyn Groves, Sara Guidi, Lucas Gullo, Rachel Gunnoe, Dana Gustafson, Raven Haddix, Jessica Haga, Mary Hall, Stevie Hall, Tyler Hall, Courtney Halpenny, Elliot Halstead, Samuel Hamilton, Alicia Hammond, Alyssa Hanisch, Jaime Hanisch, Gage Hannah, Jonathan Hannigan, Victoria Harper, Brittany Harris, Natascha Harrison, Yasmine Harrison, Nicklaus Hart, Abby Hartley, Kenneth Harvey, Erin Harwood, Brett Hathaway, Ashley Hawkins, Megan Hawkins, Justin Heflin, Cetara Hefner, Donna Hefner, Ashley Helmick, Joseph Helmick, Skylar Herod, Jerica Herrera, Andrew Hess, Scott Hessler, Dorian Hetzel, Anne Hewitt, Cooper Hibbs, Elyssa Hibbs-Loughery, Tesla Hickey, Jerad Hidalgo, Alexis Hillberry, Ashley Hilliard, Brooke Hinerman, Erick Hinerman, Frankie Hinzman, Jessica Hirschkorn, Samantha Hoban, Kristen Hoffman, Ashley Hoffmaster, Teala Holmberg, Emily Holmes, Erica Holster, Shaniah Holtz, Zack Hoover, Hunter Hoskins, Macy Houck, Travis Howard, Audra Hull, Matthew Hunter, Michael Hurt, Justin Hyre, Courtney Iacobacci, Brianna Jackson, Denise James, Ninetta James, Emma Jenkins, Gerlie Jenkins, Megan Jennings, Miranda Jett, Cheyenne Johnson, Dakota Johnson, Emily Johnson, Kaitlyn Johnson, Michael Johnson, Skyler Johnson, Cassandra Johnston, William Johnston, Autumn Jones, David Jones, Hannah Jones, Josie Jones, Lauren Jones, Sara Jones, Ashley Jozwick, Myung Hee Jung, Ashley Keith, Erin Keller, Jared Keller, Bryant Kelley, Natasha Kelley, Mitchell Kelly, Tina Kendall, Harley Kerekes, Mary Key, Laken Kiddy, Brenna Kilgore, Jihyun Kim, Zakary Kimbrew, Colter Kincaid, Michael Kingston, Nicole Kirby, David Kirk, Courtney Kisamore, Katie Kisner, Mark Kisner, David Klug, Brian Knight, Lori Knight, Ethan Knopsnider, Sydney Knotts, Patricia Kovach, Thomas Kovack, Courtney Kress, Lesley Kuffour, Linsey Lamb, Stephanie Lambert, Ruth Lamp, Angie Lane, Melissa Layfield, Matthew Leach, Tierney Leary, Kaleb Leatherman, Jaein Lee, Hannah Lenhart, Aaron Leo, Theodore Leshen, Mary Leutz, Adam Lewis, Christopher Lewis, Danielle Lewis, Landon Lilly, Neil Lindsay, Brandi Linger, Kaetlynn Lipinski, Trenton Littleton, Greg Lloyd, Katherine Lockhart, Tesa Longwell, Antonio Lopez, Salvatore Lopez, Madison Lough, Ashley Lowe, Paige Lucas, Breanna Lynch, Andrew Lyon, Felicity Lyons, Rachaud Maddox, Jeremy Madon, Sabrina Madson, Ashleigh Magee, Rachel Malcomb, Ashley Malone, John Manchin, Amber Mann, Justin Manson, Lacey Marinovich, Clarissa Martin, Sarah Martin, Susan Martin, Zachary Massey, Taylor Masters, Brandon Mathis, Candice May, Kaitlynn Mayle, Kendra Mays, Jacy McCann, Dezirae McCauley, Makenzie McClure, Stacy McCord, Brodi McCoy, Hunter McCoy, Keegun McCullough, Travis McElroy, Brett McFerrin, Shaun McGary, Tyler McGee, Makayla McGuire, Daniel McKee, Alexandria McMeekin, Terry McNear-Jenkins, Jessica McPherson, Brooke McWhirt, Ryan McWhirt, Melanie Mccartney, Makala Meadows, Adam Meeker, Ashley Melton, Derek Meluzio, Miranda Menear, Paige Menendez, Ashton Meyers, Margaret Micale, Remington Michael, Brian Miller, Hunter Miller, James Miller, Martin Miller, Michael Miller, Tysa Miller, Kaitlyn Mills, Hailey Miltenberger, Sami Miltenberger, Joshua Minear, Ria Mitchell, Shayne Mitchell, Brandon Moats, Jared Moats, Garett Mock, Bailey Mohr, Chelvonte Montgomery, Catlynn Moore, Dakota Moore, Jasmine Moore, Jessica Moore, Randy Moore, Sarah Moore, Alec Moran, Kameron Moran, Benjamin Morris, Houston Morris, Rachel Morris, Ruby Morris, Quentin Mouser, Maddie Mullenax, Nathaniel Mullenax, Britany Mullins, Carly Mundie, Alexander Murray, Alex Myers, Eric Myers, Jerri Napfel, Karah Naples, Aaron Nelan, Jessica Nestor, Kathleen Norman, Jessica Nuckols, Dakota Null, Allyson Nutter, Kaylea Nuzum, Katie O'Mara, Easton Odenheimer, Courtney Oliver, Miranda Oliverio, Aric Ooten, Logan Orton, Abigail Ott, Brayden Ours, Christopher Owens, Larissa Owens, Jamie Paletta, Sara Park, Elizabeth Parker, Sara Parks, Presley Parsons, Abigail Pasierb, Angela Pasquale, Ryan Patrick, Timothy Patrick, Harlan Pealer, Alisha Pearcy, Kimberleigh Pearcy, Kayla Pepelea, Emma Perkins, Jennifer Perkins, John Perkins, Levi Perkins, Alexander Petry, Lauren Phillips, Morganne Phillips, Joseph Pierce, Justin Pierce, Isaac Pifer, Kayla Plauger, Kari Plybon, Janalee Poe, David Poling, David Poling, Jessica Poling, Michelle Popoca, Catlinn Porter, Emilea Posey, Victoria Postlewait, Geoffrey Potts, Devon Price, Jordan Price, Alison Pritt, Jeffery Pritt, Emily Puskarich, Tyler Quinn, Taylor Raby, Bethany Ramsey, Ethan Ratkovich, Logan Ratliff, Jennifer Redden, Brian Reed, Jessica Reed, Bethany Reese, Cassandra Rentz, Thomas Retton, Joshua Rexroad, Justin Richter, Brittinee Ridenour, Andrew Ridgway, Brandon Riffee, Sean Riggleman, Evan Riley, Brittany Rimmer, Veronica Rine, Kayla Rinehart, Luke Rinehart, Jeremy Ritter, Kaylee Ritter, Hannah Roberts, Cassady Rodriguez, Carrie Roedersheimer, Kelsey Romain, Tyler Romano, Jessica Romeo, Lacy Root, Meredith Ruetty, Amanda Ruffner, Amber Russell, Breanna Russell, Hannah Rux, Cory Saddler, Brian Sagasti, Justin Sage, Waleed Sagr, Sarah Sakaguchi, Marissa Saltis, Maher Samman, Sasha Sampson, Nicholas Sams, Ryan San Julian, Teewende Sandwidi, Lindsey Sanford, Greta Satterfield, Athena Sayrie, Alyssa Scherich, Heather Schmidt, Sarah Schmidt, Trevor Schoonover, Tyler Scott, Shyann Sears, Jennifer Secure, William Seigler, Levi Senger, Abagail Settembrino, Asim Shaar, Brittany Shaffer, Leila Shaffer, Nicholas Shaffer, Marissa Shanholtz, Dylan Shannon, Julia Shemaitis, Brittany Sheppard, Lindsey Shingleton, Brooke Shockey, Adam Shreve, Geri Signorelli, Derek Silman, Samantha Silva, Victoria Simon, Breanna Sines, Robert Sisk, Alyssa Skidmore, Courtney Sloan, Victoria Smallwood, Benjamin Smith, Cassandra Smith, Collier Smith, Daniel Smith, Debra Smith, Loraine Smith, Tanner Smith, Trey Smith, Valerie Smith, Perry Smithson, Marley Snider, Christina Snodgrass, Amber Snyder, Jason Snyder, Justine Snyder, Kathryn Snyder, William Soles, Natalie Southern, Kennidy Souza, Theodore Sova, Courtney Spears, Matthew Spiker, Logan Sponaugle, Ryan Springer, Caleb Sprout, Lisa Steffich, Ashtyn Stevens, James Stevens, Roberta Stevens, Fernan Stevenson, David Stickel, Justin Stivason, Khrysten Stolins, Emily Stoneking, Isaac Stoop, Nathan Stoop, Faith Stout, Michael Stout, Mary Stover, Harry Streyle, Alyssa Suan, David Sullivan, Donald Summers, Jordan Swiger, Maria Swiger, Sommar Swisher, Dakota Talkington, Jennifer Tassos, Alisa Taylor, Christopher Taylor, Erin Taylor, Marcus Teamer, Jackey Teets, Harleigh Tennant, Kaja Tenney, Joshua Thomas, Nash Thomas, Zoe Thompson, Erinn Thorn, Samuel Tindal, Eric Tobergte, Caitlyn Tobin, Samuel Tonkovich, Candice Travis, Scott Treadway, Joshua Trembly, Angelina Triplett, Cody Triplett, Anthony Trupo, William Tucker, Cara Turley, Cara Turner, Jackie Turner, James Turner, Stephen Tustin, Angelina Underwood, Aaron Uphold, Kayla Uphold, Takawira Ushendibaba, Elroy Van Horn, Hannah Vasicek, Bruce Veltri, Marc Vero, Madeleine Vessels, Dakota Vetter, Abigail Wade, Matthew Wade, Thomas Wagner, Nathaniel Wajler, David Walker, Deidra Walker, Alexander Wallace, Kiana Wallace, Magen Ware, Brandy Watkins, Sarah Watkins, Troy Watkins, Onnie Watson, Zachary Watson, Mackenzie Waugh, Alexander Weaver, Brittney Webb, Tabitha Weekes, Jessica Weekly, Shauntise Weeks, McKenzie Weese, David Wegman, Kaylee Welch, Shammgod Wells, Grace Westfall, Madison Westfall, Maria Westfall, Haley White, Marianna White, Thomas White, Jacob Whitmore, Jackie Wick, Bethany Wiles, Jacob Wiles, Olivia Wiley, Rachel Wiley, Amber Williams, Brycen Williams, Ethan Williams, Jonathan Williams, Toshua Williams, Shawn Williamson, Katelynn Wills, Zachary Wilmoth, Justin Wilson, Olivia Wilson, Jerrica Wilt, Thomas Wimbush, Elizabeth Wimer, Joshua Wine, Ann Marie Witkowski, Kaitlyn Witsaman, Elena Wojcik, Hunter Woods, Miranda Workman, Kenzie Wright, Lynsey Wright, Wesley Wyandt, Jacob Wyatt, Anna Wyont, Katelyn Yoho, Leah Yoho, Matthew Yost, Austin Young, Samantha Young, Hyebin Yu, Sarah Zickefoose.

Fairmont State University, with a 120-acre main campus in Fairmont, W.Va., is part of the state’s growing high technology corridor. A city of about 19,000 people, Fairmont is close to larger cities and also to opportunities for outdoor recreation. Founded in 1865 as a private institution dedicated to educating teachers, FSU has a long history of academic excellence. At FSU, students find a wide range of fields of study with more than 80 four-year programs and graduate programs. With an enrollment of about 4,200, FSU is large enough that students find a vibrant campus life and small enough that they do not get lost in the crowd.

The mission of FSU is to provide opportunities for individuals to achieve their professional and personal goals and discover roles for responsible citizenship that promote the common good. FSU values scholarship, opportunity, achievement and responsibility.

Questions about this list may be submitted to the Office of the Provost by e-mailing Kathleen.Cox@fairmontstate.edu.

Fairmont State University is meeting the challenge of educating professionals in a variety of fields including architecture, criminal justice, business and multiple areas within the field of education. Many fields that once employed graduates with bachelor’s degrees now prefer to hire those with master’s degrees. Choosing to pursue a master’s degree program at FSU represents a commitment to excellence, personal growth and lifelong learning.

Alumni, current FSU students and the public are invited to the Graduate Studies Fair from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, in the Falcon Center second floor Main Street area. Representatives of FSU’s graduate programs will be on hand to answer questions. Admission is free. For more information, contact the Office of Graduate Studies at (304) 367-4098 or gradstudies@fairmontstate.edu. Visit http://www.fairmontstate.edu/graduatestudies online.

As the demand for highly trained professionals increases, more and more students are choosing to pursue a master’s level degree. The degree, once considered primarily a stepping stone toward a doctorate, is becoming, for many, a terminal degree.

“Many of our students are from West Virginia and would like to earn their bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the same institution close to home. Fairmont State’s smaller class sizes mean students receive more attention from faculty. Our applications-based approach prepares graduate students for their next career or challenge,” said Dr. Jack Kirby, Associate Provost and Director of Graduate Studies. “Fairmont State’s graduate courses are offered in the evenings or online or through a combination of the two, which makes graduate education available and accessible for working adults.”

Graduate Studies at Fairmont State are designed to give students advanced knowledge in a special field of study, higher levels of professional competence, an understanding of and respect for scholarly research and a sophisticated knowledge of the techniques of continued, lifelong intellectual growth. These goals are achieved through coherent, orderly programs of study, investigation and supervised practical experiences that are carefully planned by each individual student in consultation with a graduate faculty advisor.

FSU graduate programs are committed to a student-centered learning environment that emphasizes concrete experiences, intellectual discourse and critical reflection. FSU is small enough to allow each graduate student opportunities for interaction with fellow students and distinguished faculty members, yet large enough to provide challenging and diverse areas of study.

“I always knew that I wanted to work with people hands-on. Working within the criminal justice field, which I’m doing now, allows me to do that and also allows me to help people get back on track and improve their lives. I was initially hired in Randolph County, where I established and ran the Randolph County Adult Drug Court program for two years. I accepted a transfer to my hometown in Upshur County and work with adult and juvenile offenders now,” said John Meadows of Buckhannon, a 2015 graduate of the Master of Science in Criminal Justice program.

“The master’s degree program online was great. A lot of the classes are discussion based. You get to hear a lot from your professors, but what’s also neat about it is that you get to hear from other students who are also experienced professionals in the field. You really get into some detailed and in-depth and educational discussions within the class. You know any time you e-mail a teacher he or she is back to you within 24 hours. The criminal justice master’s degree program from Fairmont State University allowed me to receive a high quality education while accommodating my personal schedule, which consisted of family obligations, a full-time job and everything else that goes along with an adult’s everyday life. I was very fortunate and happy to be able to receive that education while balancing all my other life obligations. I would recommend any degree from Fairmont State to anybody with the experience I have had here.”

Meadows was named Most Outstanding Graduate Student in Criminal Justice in 2015 and now works for the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in Upshur County.

The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center will host a reading and book signing by Dr. Suzanne Heagy at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13.

Heagy’s novel, “Love Lets Us Down,” a tale of marriage haunting a fallen 21st century hotel, was published in November 2015 by All Nations Press. The author was a professor of English at Fairmont State University, where she continues to serve as fiction editor for Kestrel: A Journal of Literature and Art. The reading happens to take place on her birthday. Heagy jokes that she was “born between justice and love” because her birthday comes between that of Abraham Lincoln and Valentine’s Day.

The novel is a human tale about romantic notions of love and marriage. Heagy is interested in communication as a vehicle for love and how miscommunication, or romantic assumptions, lead to crossed wires of the heart. Copies of the book will be available for purchase ($15) and signing after the event.

Heagy’s short fiction and poetry have appeared in Your Impossible Voice, Pleiades, Untamed Ink, Dos Passos Review, Poetry Southeast and other journals, as well as Horizons, the annual publication of the South Carolina Writers Guild, and in poetry anthologies by Uphook Press. She has worked as an editor for many years. She was born in Kentucky and lived in Indiana, Texas, South Carolina and Wisconsin before moving to West Virginia.

The Fairmont State University community and the Department of Language and Literature welcome to campus a visiting scholar from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications whose year-long residency will begin Wednesday, Feb. 17.

Han Xiaohau, a professor of English, will teach a class on Chinese culture at FSU and, with the guidance of Dr. J. Robert Baker, will conduct research on teaching methodology and the study of American literature.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for FSU. In the Department of Language and Literature, we are very excited that Han will be joining us, for she will be a great addition to the department and will help us and our students to expand our global awareness. She will be offering a class in the spring on Chinese culture and another in the fall in Mandarin,” Baker said.

Han has been teaching College English, particularly English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading and writing to non-English majors, for 12 years and is excited for the opportunity to develop her skills and to teach at FSU. At Beijing University, Han also teaches a 32-hour, senior-level optional course called “Selective Readings of American Short Stories.”

“My current teaching and research is focused on the methods of teaching composition, the designing of effective classroom activities and the approaches to developing critical thinking through reading literature,” Han said.

“As to my course on Chinese culture, I’m thinking of introducing ancient Chinese history and some Confucian and Taoist ideas, which have greatly influenced Chinese and East Asian culture. I’ve also prepared some materials for Chinese calligraphy, painting, paper cutting and traditional festive decoration.”

Her visit is sponsored by the Chinese Scholarship Council, a non-profit organization seeking to provide financial assistance to Chinese citizens who want to study abroad and international students who want to study in China. Its goal is to further the academic and cultural exchanges between China and other countries in order to bring about positive change.

Han contacted the Department of Language and Literature over the summer about her interest to attend literature lectures and observe classroom activities and collaborate with faculty members and conduct research.

Han has been granted authorization to come to the United States with a J-1 visa for visiting scholars. FSU is the first institution in the new West Virginia HEPC J-1 Consortium, directed by Dr. Clark Egnor, to receive a J-1 visitor.  Dr. Erin Hippolyte, International Study Coordinator at FSU, is the local reporting officer for the Consortium.

The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University was awarded an Organizational Medallion for Excellence in Support of the Arts during the Governor’s Arts Awards Gala at the Culture Center on Thursday, March 10.

Sponsored by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, the event celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith of the Division of Culture and History, Director of Arts Renee Margocee and Commission on the Arts Chair Susan Landis presented etched glass medallions to 50 individuals and 50 organizations whose work in respective fields exemplifies the importance of art in our lives.

“The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center is honored to be included among this distinguished group of our state’s artists and art supporters,” said Pat Musick, Interim Director of the Folklife Center.

“The Center houses a library; classes for FSU’s Museum Studies and Folklore Studies minors; exhibitions, lectures and performances in our Great Room of Cultures and gallery spaces; and archives including heritage textiles, pottery, antique photographs, Ruth Ann Musick’s collected folklore, Patty Looman’s folk music estate and the Phyllis Wilson Moore West Virginia literary collection. It’s a tribute to West Virginia’s cultural diversity that our rich folk heritage and contemporary arts are honored together in this year’s Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts. This award recognizes the Folklife Center as part of the richness of the arts  in the Mountain State, along with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Mountain Stage, the WVU Art Museum and theater, dance, visual arts, music, poetry and traditional folk arts from all over West Virginia.”

The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University is dedicated to the identification, preservation and perpetuation of our region’s rich cultural heritage, through academic studies, educational programs, festivals and performances and publications. For more information about the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center, visit www.fairmontstate.edu/folklife.

About the photo: From left to right are Patricia Musick and student Christy Thompson.

The Frank & Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University will host a special talk by a guest lecturer from Ireland at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 3.   

John Gillis, Senior Conservator at Trinity College Library, Dublin, will speak on “Treasure from the Bog,” the story of the Faddan More Psalter, an 8th-century manuscript unearthed from a peat bog. A reception will follow the lecture. Admission is free and open to the public.

In July 2006, one of the most spectacular discoveries in European archaeology was made near the small Irish town of Faddan More, County Tipperary. A man working in a peat bog uncovered the first early medieval Irish manuscript to be found in 200 years. Within days, the manuscript was transferred to the National Museum of Ireland, marking the beginning of a 4 and a half year project to document, analyze and conserve this wholly unique artifact.

The lecture examines the manuscript’s fragmented remains of the 150 Psalms, with areas of illumination and decorated lettering; its cover, one of only a handful of surviving early medieval Western book covers; and surprising aspects of the cover that compare with early book structures from as far away as Egypt. Some of the surprise features raise more questions than answers. 

John Gillis has worked in and taught book conservation in Ireland and Italy for over 25 years. He spent almost half a decade carrying out the conservation of this rare manuscript, encountering the unprecedented challenges and unforeseen surprises it presented. Gillis is an engaging storyteller whose enthusiasm is contagious.

For more information, contact Pat Musick, Interim Director, Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center, (304) 333-3606 or 367-4403.

The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University is dedicated to the identification, preservation and perpetuation of our region’s rich cultural heritage, through academic studies, educational programs, festivals and performances and publications. For more information about the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center, visit www.fairmontstate.edu/folklife.

Storyteller and spoken word artist, Ellouise Schoettler will perform two programs in April as part of a Celebration of Women’s History at Fairmont State University.

The first program, “Hello Girls,” will be presented at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at FSU at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5. A reception will follow the program. “Hello Girls” tells the story of American women telephone operators who answered our country’s call to service in France during WWI. It is about secret signals, black sateen bloomers and women General Pershing called “switchboard soldiers,” but the troops called “Hello Girls” for their familiar “hello” when answering the calls from the front. Key in winning Allied victories, these women returned home unacknowledged and nearly forgotten. Schoettler will share three monologues from their words to give these women a chance to tell their story. 

On Wednesday, April 6, at noon at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center, Schoettler will perform “Pushing Boundaries,” her personal journey from “1950s housewife” to a national advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment. A 79-year-old seasoned professional storyteller, Schoettler performs nationwide and is known for her warm-hearted and humorous take on personal stories and stories of women’s experiences. Since 2010, she has created and performed original one-woman shows for the Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, D.C. 

The Celebration of Women’s History is offered through a grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council with support from the Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts, the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center and the FSU Abelina Suarez Professorship. Admission to both programs is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Francene Kirk at (304) 367-4170. 

The Abelina Suarez Professorship, the University’s highest faculty honor, includes an annual monetary prize to fund a research project of the recipient’s choice over a five-year period. Dr. Francene Kirk, Professor of Communication and Theatre in the School of Fine Arts, was awarded the Abelina Suarez Professorship in April 2013. Kirk’s project will contain interviews of women who went to high school before 1972 and where they received the information about their life and career choices.

The Abelina Suarez Professorship recognizes extended and continued excellence by a member of the FSU faculty. A bequest by the estate of Abelina Suarez established the University’s first named professorship. Abelina Suarez, who was born in 1910 in Spain but grew up in Anmoore, was the first woman to graduate from Ohio University in a field called German chemistry. She was a math and science teacher in Harrison County for more than 30 years. She attended Fairmont State Teachers College in the 1940s and also earned a master’s degree in education from West Virginia University. Through her generosity and foresight, Suarez designated a portion of her estate to support educational opportunities at Fairmont State.

The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University is dedicated to the identification, preservation and perpetuation of our region’s rich cultural heritage, through academic studies, educational programs, festivals and performances and publications. For more information about the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center, visit www.fairmontstate.edu/folklife.

For more information about the FSU School of Fine Arts, visit http://www.fairmontstate.edu/schooloffinearts/.

On Thursday, April 7, the United States Attorney’s Office will join the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration to host a dynamic community forum designed to highlight a unique, realistic perspective on the impact of prescription drug and opioid abuse.

The event will feature a screening of “Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opiate Addict,” a documentary film collaboratively produced by the FBI and the DEA in response to increasing prescription painkiller and opioid drug abuse in West Virginia and across the nation. The film, which is designed to better educate students and young adults about the dangers of these drugs and the tragic consequences that often accompany addiction, debuted nationally in February 2016. Students from the Fairmont State University Criminal Justice Program will attend the forum to supplement their current curriculum. The public is also invited to attend.

“It is the FBI's hope this film will start a conversation about the stark reality of drug abuse in this country and the unadulterated impact it has on our friends, families and communities,” noted Stephen L. Morris, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia.

The movie screening will begin at 6 p.m. on April 7 in the Colebank Hall Gymnasium at Fairmont State University. The documentary will be followed by an interactive discussion with representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Attorney’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Individuals and community groups interested in obtaining additional information are encouraged to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation by calling (304) 625-5833 or emailing holly.henry@ic.fbi.gov.

Note: This information is reposted from www.connect-bridgeport.com.