WVU’s Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources students will now be able to use the same product lifecycle management software in their classrooms that is utilized by leading companies around the world thanks to Siemens PLM Software’s in-kind software grant with a commercial value of more than $425 million, the largest in-kind grant in the history of the institution.

The in-kind grant was provided by Siemens PLM Software’s Global Opportunities in PLM (GO PLM™ initiative), a program that delivers PLM technology to more than one million students yearly at more than 11,000 global institutions, where it is used at every academic level – from grade schools to graduate engineering research programs.

The software will be integrated in two Statler College departments: the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. It is estimated that the grant will immediately benefit more than 700 students throughout WVU.

More online: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2012/05/16/wvu-receives-in-kind-software-gift-with-a-commercial-value-of-more-than-425-million

Residents of Morgantown and the surrounding community are invited to the inaugural Gene Vance Jr. Day Observances and Tribute Saturday, May 19, at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Park Amphitheater.

The events mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Morgantown soldier, U.S. Special Forces (Airborne) SSG Gene Arden Vance Jr. who was killed in action in May of 2002. Recently wed, he was about to go on his honeymoon when the nation called him to action. He was the first West Virginia National Guardsman to be killed in direct combat since World War II. A recognized war hero, Vance’s actions saved the lives of two fellow Americans and more than 18 Afghani soldiers. At a campus memorial service following his passing, WVU awarded him a degree posthumously.

The events will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday (May 19) at the amphitheater with a declaration by Morgantown Mayor Jim Manilla proclaiming it Gene Vance Jr Day (on May 18th, the date of his death).

The Gene Vance Jr Day Tribute will honor Vance and other heroes of the Global War on terror, the longest conflict in U.S. history.

Taking part in the program will be city, WVU and state leaders, elected officials, representatives of the West Virginia Army National Guard, local veterans groups and a representative of the Gene Vance Jr. Foundation, among others. All Americans are invited to stand in solidarity for a moment of silence on that day as well.

WVU and the United Way will hold the rummage sale on Saturday, May 19, at the stadium’s East Gate. An admission of $4 is charged to shop from 7-8:30 a.m. After that, the entry is free and the sale lasts until noon. The sale usually boasts about 50 tons of goods for shoppers to choose from.

More online: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2012/04/27/wvu-blue-gold-mine-sale-asks-students-to-give-up-unwanted-items-for-good/

LAN Services will be performing regular monthly maintenance on all of our servers that are not part of the GroupWise System Sunday, May 20 from 5-10 p.m. This includes the network drives (home directories and share folders) for the Administrative Network. During this maintenance period, services may be available but are not guaranteed.

Other servers that will be impacted include Citrix (MasterApps). These servers may experience short outages but we do not anticipate extended periods of downtime for them. Servers dedicated to specific functions may be affected, in which case the users of those services will be notified.

Please be certain to log off or shut down your computer prior to Sunday, May 20.

The GroupWise system will not be affected and email will continue to function normally.

If you have concerns, please contact the OIT HelpDesk at (304) 293-4444 and they will direct your concerns to the appropriate individual.

Verizon will be conducting work that will partially block University Avenue in front of the College of Business and Economics starting tomorrow (May 16). The work will last for two or three days. Traffic will be reduced to one lane beginning at 7 p.m. Two-lane traffic will resume at 6 a.m. each day until work is completed.

WVU’s Personal Rapid Transit will be shutting down operations starting May 7. The PRT will resume operations on May 29, one week after the start of the summer semester. This shutdown is essential for not only technical reasons but also to undertake some structural repairs along the guide way. The repairs are for long-term preventive maintenance of the system and fleet and improve the functionality and reliability of the service.

During this shutdown period, the University will offer free shuttle service the week of May 21 that connects all campuses and provides pick-up and drop-off at current PRT stops. The shuttle service will operate Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 26. The stops for the PRT Shuttle will be Mountaineer Station on Van Voorhis, Tower Station, Engineering Loop, Mountainlair (inbound towards downtown), Walnut at Chestnut, and Beechurst Station Loop (outbound towards Evansdale. A schedule for the shuttle route can be found at http://transportation.wvu.edu.

More online: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2012/05/04/wvu-s-prt-summer-shutdown-begins-may-7

The Congress and President of the United States have designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week. The members of our law enforcement community play an essential role in safeguarding the rights and freedoms of our community. It is important that we all acknowledge the duties, responsibilities, hazards, and sacrifices of our law enforcement officers and their families.

In honor of all local, state, and national law enforcement agencies, I ask that our campus community take time this week, May 13-19, 2012, to reflect on the dedicated service and sacrifice of the officers, past and present, who bravely serve for our protection.

As we pause this week to pay tribute to law enforcement officers everywhere, let us also honor those who, through their courageous deeds, have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community, as Sergeant Todd May of the local Sheriff Department did most recently, and those who have been injured in the performance of duty. We send our heartfelt appreciation and respect to all the survivors of our fallen heroes.

James P. Clements


President, WVU

They sit in a large room at WVU: paintings, sculptures, prints and various other works of art waiting for a chance to be seen.

No one knows when the art collection at WVU started, but over the past 40 years WVU alumni and friends – and sometimes complete strangers – have entrusted their art to the University to treasure long after they have gone.

The works include portraits of Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Easton by William Merritt Chase, mixed media, folk art snakes formed from tree limbs by Oscar Spenser, Asian ceramics. A few famous personalities have works among the collection: Picasso, Lichtenstein and Warhol.

The international collection spans countries and disciplines. Although the artwork is mostly wrapped up and put away, there’s a definite African presence of more than 300 separate pieces. And there’s a particular waft of Provincetown on Cape Cod from the largest public collection of Blanche Lazzell’s works.

The art collection, that numbers nearly 3,000 works, will soon have the chance to be seen more frequently as pieces rotate through The Art Museum of WVU.

The museum, now in the final stages of design, will live on what is now a grassy field beside the Creative Arts Center in Morgantown.

More online: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2012/05/15/wvu-s-growing-art-collection-soon-to-get-new-home

The WVU and WVU ADVANCE Sponsorship Programs are external mentoring programs funded by the Provost’s Office and the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE IT Program (Award HRD-100797). WVU faculty (Associates) will be paired with mentors (Sponsors) to work on a clearly identified project with specific outcomes. Funds are available for fourteen awards (ten from ADVANCE, four from the Provost’s Office) for October 1, 2012-September 31, 2013 (Associate – $10,000; Sponsor – $5,000).

For more information and the application see https://fs9.formsite.com/kasijackson/form9/secure_index.html

Deadline: Applications are due June 1.

Eligibility: Tenure track and/or promotable (e.g. teaching, research and clinical track) assistant, associate or full professors from the following groups may apply (Full professors must indicate how the funding would be used to help them advance to leadership positions):

1. Female faculty from any NSF-funded discipline.

2. Male and female faculty from any discipline who belong to the following underrepresented groups: African-Americans, Africans, others of African descent, Alaskan Natives, Native Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native Pacific Islanders.

3. Other faculty who can provide evidence-based research indicating that they are members of groups that are both numerically underrepresented and systematically disadvantaged (i.e., less likely to be hired, promoted, to serve in leadership positions, or otherwise advance) in their discipline. Please send your justification to Sponsorship Program Coordinator Dr. Kasi Jackson at kasi.jackson@mail.wvu.edu for approval prior to submitting your application.

Questions: Contact Dr. Kasi Jackson at 304-293-2339, ext. 1154, or kasi.jackson@mail.wvu.edu.

WVU is implementing a new academic probation and suspension policy. This policy takes effect with the 2012-2013 academic year. More information is available at http://registrar.wvu.edu/.