Ten
The number of years geology students at WVU have accessed the same software used by oil and gas companies worldwide, expanding their marketability for industry jobs.
Schlumberger, the world’s leading technology developer for the oil and gas industry, has furthered this access through an in-kind gift of their Petrel* E&P software platform to the Department of Geology and Geography. The software is commercially valued at $53 million.
Four generations
The number of generations of students late English Department Chair Carter Bishop and his father Charles Edward Bishop impacted. Through the generosity of anonymous donors, Carter Bishop’s legacy will continue for even more generations of Mountaineers through an annual scholarship fund. The Carter Bishop Memorial Scholarship Fund, endowed in 2005, was just sustained through an anonymous estate gift worth over $650,000.
Academia was a Bishop family tradition. Bishop’s father, Charles, came to Morgantown from Williamsburg, Va. in 1911 to chair the Classical Languages Department. The two covered a span of four generations of Mountaineers. Bishop was a professor in the English faculty from 1929-1960. He served as the chair of the Department of English from 1946-1950.
New award supports student research
“Recognition of research through awards is the best thing a department can do because it really shows people that research is the emphasis,” said Molly Crowe, the first recipient of the Barry Edelstein Student Research Award for her research on neuropathic pain. The scholarship supported Crowe’s travel to Poland for an international psychology conference.
The Barry Edelstein Student Research Award, was endowed in fall 2016 by a $50,000 gift from alumni Joe (B.S. Business Management, 1983; M.B.A., 1984) and Sharon (B.A. Psychology, 1984; M.A. Psychology, 1986; Ph.D. Psychology, 1991) Older. This gift is part of the Olders’ $125,000 commitment to WVU, which includes gifts to the College of Business and Economics, the Mountaineer Marching Band’s Pride Travel Fund and the varsity crew team.
Leaving a legacy
John Renton, professor emeritus of geology, has won nearly every teaching award at the department, college, university and national levels. Since retiring in 2015, Renton continues to share his passion for teaching and geochemistry. To ensure he left a legacy behind for future generations of geology students, Renton has established the John and Eleanor Renton Geology Field Camp Scholarship.
“After spending 50-plus years at WVU, I wanted to leave something behind students are going to benefit from,” Renton said. “An endowment will ensure the lasting impact of the scholarship. By helping students attend summer field camp, they will experience a long-term impact on their education and future career.” The scholarship will go toward the summer tuition and fees associated with the field experience.
Advancing women in the workplace
Mohindar Seehra has made it his life’s work to ensure his graduate students have the tools they need to succeed in academia, industry and life. The Eberly Family Distinguished Professor of physics has guided the research and careers of 65 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, including more than two dozen women. Seehra retired in August 2016 after 47 years of teaching and research at WVU. Seehra’s philanthropy echoes that dedication, and it has never been more evident with the establishment of the Mohindar Singh Seehra Lecture Fund, an endowment to support the professional development of women graduate students and researchers. The endowment funds the Seehra Lecture, a series of lectures coordinated by the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies in partnership with the Council for Women’s Concerns. The lecture series, which launched in the spring semester covers topics like work-life balance, including both historical and contemporary issues and the influence of today’s economy.