Author: paula.mcgrew@gmail.com

Memorial Day Appreciation

West Virginia Wesleyan College Bulletin, 1950-05

Of the 405,000 American soldiers who died in World War II, 26 were Sons of Wesleyan. Among those 26, only six were graduates – the others had their education disrupted by the war.

The plaque was meant to honor them, and to help future generations to remember them. As far as I know it may still be in Atkinson Chapel somewhere, but there have been renovations since that time and since 2009, that place has stood vacant. I can’t remember ever seeing it — or maybe I just was not very observant. However, 70 years later it has inspired me to remember (and learn about) these men.

This Memorial Day, I would like to take the opportunity to honor them once more. I will focus on those who were graduates, but the honor and appreciation extends to all of them.

John Francis Elkins ’29

He was a graduate of WV Wesleyan College and taught school in Logan County for 14 years. Although he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, there are memorials in  multiple cemeteries in southern West Virginia as well. (WV Memory Project, Veteran’s Database)

Boggs Hall ’37

A Graduate of Sutton high School and WV Wesleyan College, Boggs Hall was employed in the land department at the State Auditor’s office in Charleston before leaving for Basic Training at Fort Bragg N.C. Boggs Hall received a Purple Heart. He is buried in Holland, where he died, but also has a memorial in his home town of Sutton. (WV Memory Project, Veteran’s Database)

Carl Robert Reger ’43

He was a graduate of WV Wesleyan prior to enlistment and in his senior year president of Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Member of First Methodist Church, Buckhannon. Recipient of the Purple Heart and the Presidential Citation. He is buried in Heavener Cemetery in Buckhannon. (WV Memory Project, Veteran’s Database)

Francis Clay Robinson ’36

A graduate of WVWC, Clay also went on to medical school at Harvard, where he graduated in 1941. Newspapers tell us that he was a resident physican in Worchester MA prior to enlistment, and WVWC Alumni publicatons indicate that he was a Clinical Instructor at the University of Vermont Medical School as well. (WV Memory Project, Veteran’s Database)

Paul Jones Rogerson ’35

He graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College and from the University of Chicago, and taught for a year at Moundsville High School and at Linsly Institute in Wheeling before entering the service.  Paul died 5-12-1944, at the age of 31, of pneumonia in Louisiana.  (WV Memory Project, Veteran’s Database)

Loran Alexander Umpleby ’42

He graduated from WV Weslyan College in 1942. Records show that the plane crashed down at Storeton, near Birkenhead, Cheshire, England.  Their base in England was at Tibenham, Norfolk, England. The 24 crew killed in the explosion had taken war weary aircraft over to Langford base in Northern Ireland and were returning to their bases at Tibenham. (WV Memory Project, Veteran’s Database)

Memorial Day

Shortly after the Civil War, Decoration Day was a time to honor those lost in that war. Graves were decorated and people remembered the horrors of neighbors and family members fighting each other to the death.

After World War I and World War II, the holiday was expanded to include those lost in all wars. But, it was not until 1971 that it became a national holiday. In our society, holidays mean trips to the beach, parades, and cookouts.

Much respect to these, and all men (and women), who have sacrificed for us. 

Dreamers and Giants and COVID-19

Dreamers and Giants and COVID-19

This week I have become aware of two Wesleyan graduates who have died of COVID-19. I am sure there have been (or are likely to be) more such losses. Each one is heart breaking. Each of them came to WVWC with dreams. Each fulfilled those dreams and touched many lives in the process.

Norm Moyer, Class of 1976

Throughout his years at West Virginia Wesleyan, Norm was surrounded by a host of peers and faculty members who encouraged, challenged, and supported him. Many of these folks have stayed in touch throughout the years.

In his obituary, we find this:

About a year ago Norm wrote ”Joy is my chosen mission and as John Wesley said, ‘The world is my parish.’ The bible says, ‘Rejoice, Again I say Rejoice!’ The middle of Rejoice is joy. The mission I have set my life path upon to travel is to bring JOY into everybody’s life to assist them in remembering an essential part of their humanity. …It’s my vocation.”

Michael Bari, Class of 1984

Michael Bari was born January 20, 1962 in Toronto, Canada.

He died on May 13, 2020 in Alexandria, LA

Photo by Howard Hiner

A member of the WVWC Baseball team, and Physical Education Major, Mike was active in many areas of campus. He was part of an intramural organization made up of members of various groups and teams across campus. They apparently were a force to behold, and were known as Hecklers II.

He had a very distinguished coaching career, incuding two years as the Women’s Basketball Coach at WVWC. I always enjoyed talking with him on campus! His other creative outlet was his Sports Radio Talk Show, which had an extensive following.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of these two members of the Bobcat family in particular, and to all of those who have lost someone to this pandemic. When reading the numbers of deaths on the news, it is so overwhelming. Each number represents a person. Each person has a story (or many).

 

 

Good Old Days

During finals week of my freshman year of college, I wandered into the bookstore to procure the dreaded Blue Book. The empty pages between the blue covers were just waiting for me to fill them with all of the things I had learned during the semester.

While there, a sign caught my eye. It seemed like quite the opposite of what I was feeling.

I was in the middle of exams, and packing, and saying goodbye to new friends for the summer. 

However, I bought that sign. It was in my dorm room for the rest of my college career. It is still with me, and looks a bit worse for wear. It was with me:

  • When my college sweetheart and I were newlyweds in Chicago — and homesick for family and the hills of WV.
  • When our children were newborns — and we were walking the floor night after night.
  • When family members died or moved far away.
  • Through new jobs, moves, school activities with the children, and empty nesting.

From time to time I still look at this sign, but with a new perspective.

Yes, those college days were the Good Old Days — in spite of the exams.

Yes, those adventures in Chicago — even during the Blizzard of 1979.

Yes, those wonderful moments (in retrospect) of endless rocking and singing to babies. They turned out to be pretty amazing people!

Yes, when looking back at the great memories we made with family members.

Yes, during each day and in every time in life, there were good things happening.

Good Old Days at WVWC?

  • Probably was hard to think it was the Good Old Days when, as seen on this 1900 map, the campus consisted of only the Seminary Building and Ladies Hall. And when the main building burned in 1905.
  • Probably was hard to think it was the Good Old Days during World War I and soldiers were training on campus…and students shipping off to fight in Europe.
  • Probably was hard during the Spanish Flu Epidemic in 1918.
  • Probably was hard, during the years that Roy McCuskey was president — during the Great Depression.
  • Probably was hard, during the years of World War II, and Korea, and Vietnam.

In each of these cases, there were very good things happening at WVWC in spite of it all. There were people (Faculty, Staff, Students) stepping up and being creative, just as there are in 2020. Giants then…Giants now.

2020

It is hard to imagine that we are living through the Good Old Days in 2020.

Pandemics, quarantines, online classes and meetings.

Masks and sanitizers all around.

Maybe, in time, we will remember the time spent with family without all of the running around.

Or the people who were heroic.

Or the people who called to check on us.

Or the creative ways we found to do the things that are important.

Personal Perspective

This year, in our family, there is a brand new baby – born a week before Mother’s Day. We celebrated Mother’s Day 2020 by introducing the baby to family members via Zoom. A good time was had by all.

These may well be Good Old Days yet.

I think I will give the sign to my daughter for Mother’s Day so that it can inspire her as well.

p.s. Congratulations, also to Lauren Weaver (WVWC’s United Methodist Church Liaison and Spiritual Life Coordinator) and her husband Nathan Weaver (class of 2013) on the birth of Ezra Lawrence Weaver on May 2!  And to Dr. Katharine Antolini, who was featured on a BBC news story about Mother’s Day as a Mother’s Day Scholar. Yes, these may be the Good Old Days after all.

Virtual

Virtual

Our lives have been transformed lately.

Things that we have done for years, and taken for granted, are now being done differently.

We connect with family and friends differently.

We learn, worship, celebrate, consume entertainment, and explore the world differently.

The word Virtual is defined as being almost or nearly as described, or almost a particular thing or quality. Oxford describes the origins as in the graphic below.

In many cases, the nature of what we are trying to achieve does not change: teach, learn, celebrate, support, enjoy, explore and so on. It may not be exactly the same. In some cases it is close, nearly, or almost. In some cases it misses the mark completely. In some cases it is just different — maybe even better!

Usage of the word has increased greatly in recent years, and my guess is that this has been especially true in the past few months. It seems that right now all of life has been impacted by the word Virtual.

Virtual Commencement

This past Saturday was a historic day at WVWC. The first ever Virtual Commencement happened. It was obvious that doing things as they are usually done was not possible. Travel was not possible for families, and groups over 25 people were not permitted as per orders from the governor. 

With creativity, interaction, and keeping the goals of celebration and interactivity in mind, I think that this virtual effort was successful. Parts of it were really nice! The nature of the college and the celebration of the graduates were captured very well. There were no limits on tickets, no hard bleachers for families to sit on for hours, and it is all available to watch again if you’d like! Later in the day, graduates were sharing the link and other photos from the event with family and friends. The celebration that was happening in all of the comments were not Virtual. They were very real! 

Click here to watch the recording.

It was almost as described. The essence of the celebration was strong. While not what most graduates and their families had envisioned, it did a great job of including participation and celebrating relationships. Students were invited to submit photos from their college years. Many submitted photos with friends, faculty, groups, teams, or activities that had been especially meaningful to them. Some chose not to submit photos, and that was ok too. Various campus folks included short video congratulations.

The ceremony ended, as it does in person, with the singing of My Home Among the Hills. But this time, the choir members sang it together while apart. The tears that came to my eyes were not virtual. My eyes were a bit moist.  Click here to watch it — over and over again if you’d like!

 

Litany of Commission for the Class of 2020

Litany of Commission for the Class of 2020

Davis, Sidney T. portrait

Since 1978, the Baccalaureate Service has included a Litany of Commission written by Dr. Sidney T. Davis, Professor Emeritus of Religion and Christian Education and former Dean of the Chapel.

Dr. Davis, himself a student of Dr. Ralph C. Brown, Class of 1915 and a graduate in the class of 1936, has been an inspiration to many throughout the years. A faculty member from 1947-76, Dr. Davis mentored and inspired many church leaders. He continues to inspire present and future graduates of the college through the use of this Litany of Commission.

This is one tradition that does not have to be missed this year even though the COVID-19 pandemic has caused such upheaval in this time of celebration. In fact, as I went through the litany this week, it struck me that it only needed a mention of the situation at the beginning and at the end in order for it to apply to the class of 2020.  Here is the litany with those slight additions in italics.

The President:

Members of the graduating class of 2020, the Wesleyan of today: administration, faculty, staff, fellow students, families; are not able to be together physically in Wesley Chapel for Baccalaureate Service or in the Rockefeller Gymnasium for your Commencement exercises as we would all love to be. However, you are surrounded by an unseen cloud of witnesses – wherever you may be – who have given to all of us a rich heritage in love of learning, devotion to truth, concern for people.

Graduating Seniors:

We gladly take this heritage as our own this day. We pledge ourselves to its preservation.

Wesleyan Community:

We rejoice in your commitment to the excellence of great traditions. We support you. We pray for your success.

The President:

You have lived and studied among people of faith. Without the undergirding, strength and courage of faith in God, the Wesleyan community would never have been born and could not survive. Take faith and let it daily be your companion.

Graduating Seniors:

We take heart for we have seen faith at work. We would be people of faith and receive it as our own: Faith in God, faith in our fellow human beings, and faith in ourselves as persons of God.

Wesleyan Community:

We, too, are people of faith and know its sustaining power. May it be yours: Faith to keep you strong, steady and serving

The President:

Go then, for there is now a noble commission given to you. Because of the special gifts with which you have been endowed, because of the nurture of those gifts by the spirit of Wesleyan, you are hereby commissioned to go out into the world to make a difference to change it for the better, to enrich it with your own brand of creative goodness, to redeem it when it falters. Go then, and God go with you!

Graduating Seniors:

We accept our commission. We dare to go because we must. Indeed, circumstances have required us to go long before we were ready. God grant that we shall be of good courage, and be faithful to the trust invested in us by our families, by Wesleyan, by the Church, and by God.

All:  Amen

This Litany is not virtual. Yes, we would have preferred to say it in person. No, it is not changed because of the circumstances. In fact it may be more true today than ever! You are commissioned by generations of the Wesleyan community who have come before you to go out into the world, to make a difference to change it for the better, to enrich it with your own brand of creative goodness, to redeem it when it falters. 

Earth Day

50 Years Ago

The first ever Earth Day happened April 22, 1970. 

It happened all over the world. It happened at WVWC. 

In 1970, more than 20 million Americans participated and advocated. Thousands of colleges and universities held protests, environmental teach-ins, and petition drives. By 1990, the movement was global. This year, on the 50th anniversary of its founding, more than one billion people will be involved in more than 193 countries. (Virtually, of course, with Social Distancing)

Pharos Coverage

For weeks before the big day, the Pharos was abuzz with plans. 

The full text of Cherie Nick’s article can be read here.

The text of the petition:

A Common Goal For This Millennium

The Family of Man in Balance with Its Environment In A World of Peace

UNITED NATIONS PETITION FOR THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

To the head of the Member Nations of the United Nations, to the General Assembly, and to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. In recognition of the great urgency of our need to find solutions to the global problems of environmental deterioration and overpopulation, we urge you:

To formally declare a Common Goal for the People of the Earth, to be achieved within the short period of time that now remains before the THIRD Millennium, of bringing the Family of Man into balance with its environment, i a world of peace.

To add to the formal structure of the United Nations a Population an Environment Council of coordinate rank to the five major organs that now serve the General Assembly.

To accelerate planning for the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment that is now being planned for June of 1972, and to schedule it for the earliest reasonable date in 1971.

To work together in advance of the Conference to formulate and informally agree upon specific plans for unified world-wide action to solve our major environmental problems.

To formally adopt these plans at the 1971 Conference of Human Environment.

To use this Conference to launch a unified assault upon those problems of our common environment on this small earth that demand, and will only yield to the common will and concerted efforts of all men everywhere — all races, all creeds, all economic classes, all ages — all over the world.

They Even Had Earth Day Pins!

The Wesleyan community was also invited to purchase a pin to show support for the movement. Proceeds went to the Balance Fund Foundation at the United Nations.

Advocacy: Then And Now

There were several wonderful descriptions of events on the campus by student writers, Cherie Nick (1971) and David Grubb (1972).

The April 14, 1970 issue of the Pharos had an article about the Ecological Teach-In and an article entitled Give Earth A Chance, by David Grubb. The opening paragraph sounds hauntinlgy current:

Earth Day was not just given lip service. There was follow-up. David Grubb also had an article in the April 28th issue entitled Where Do We Go From Here? The article began:

Earth Day, 1970, was more than just a pretty day to sit on the chapel steps and contemplate the potential and eminent dangers that face the world and the United States. It was, in fact, a time to look at the deeper social, political, and economic questions that lie at the very foundations of the crisis. The ecological destruction that has swept our finite planet can not simply be written off as a by-product of the population explosion.

David Grubb, class of 1972, when he went on from here, indeed continued the work that had been started. He dedicated himself to making a difference with a life of public service. According to his profile on the website of The Grubb Law Group, he was recognized as the National Consumer Advocate of the Year in 1983 by the Conference of Consumer Organizations, worked for a time with Ralph Nader in consumer advocacy, served in both the West Virginia State Senate and the House of Delegates, as the Deputy Attorney General in charge of West Virginia’s consumer protection office, and founded and served as the Executive Director of the West Virginia Citizen Action Group. He has received the Public Service Achievement Award from Common Cause of West Virginia, the Mother Jones Award from the West Virginia Environmental Council, and the Environmental Initiative Award from Sierra Club. 

Progress Has Been Made – But There Is Much More To Do

Click Here To See How You Can Participate on Wednesday, April 22, 2020

UPDATES!

Since this blog was published on Monday, I have had a great email visit with David Grubb. He enjoyed looking back at all of this.

Also, here are some great photographs of the event in 1970. Howard Hiner was the campus photographer, and he captured these (and more) images. Thanks, and a shout-out, to his son-in-law Danny Green ’74 for sharing them.

Dr. Joseph Mow and his Philosophy class
Part of the display in the Social Hall on the third floor of the Benedum Campus Center
Long view of the Benedum Campus Center — many new buildings since then!
Signing the petition!
John Wesley dressed for the occasion. David Grubb tells me that this was a World War II mask which was procured at the Upshur County Emergency Squad
The Chapel Steps – always a great gathering place

Joy In The Morning

Since 1977, the majority of Easter mornings in my life have included the singing or hearing of Natalie Sleeth’s Joy in the Morning. In fact, it hardly seems like Easter at all if that song is missing from my day – so I have been known a few times to go out and find it on YouTube!

Besides being a very beautiful, powerful, and meaningful song, I have a strong connection to both the song and the composer. Natalie Sleeth wrote it in Buckhannon, and it was first sung by the WVWC Tour Choir at the inauguration of her husband, Ronald Sleeth, as the thirteenth president of West Virginia Wesleyan College. I was present at that debut.  Since that time it has sold more than one million copies and been performed all over the world.


In 1987, Natalie Sleeth wrote a book called Adventures for the Soul: 35 Inspirational Poems and the Stories Behind Them in which, in her own words, she shares her thoughts, inspirations, and motivations for 35 of her best-known pieces including Joy in the Morning.

This small, but mighty, volume is available to borrow on the Internet Archive Open Library (free to sign up). In it, she tells about the inspiration for and development of Joy in the Morning. I would like to invite Natalie Sleeth to be the guest bloggist this week to share her thoughts with you.

Joy In The Morning

Ronald Sleeth, 13th President of WVWC and First Laday, Natalie Sleeth
Ronald Sleeth, 13th President of WVWC and First Lady, Natalie Sleeth

This piece “happened” one August weekend in Buckhannon, West Virginia and began with the phrase, “Joy In The Morning” — which, it turns out was from Psalm 30 though I didn’t know that at the time. I may have gotten it out of thin air or from a book I once read by that title; but whatever the origin, the phrase kept recurring to me, and I began to ponder it. As I worked with the idea and with developing the text into a full “statement” (of related ideas) it began to generate more excitement for me, particularly when it “allied itself” to a strong, minor melody with a sequential section in the middle.

I remember working on it all weekend–until very late at night  (since I was by myself) and beginning again early in the morning–and enjoying the challenge of working with four parts rather than just the two I often stop with. Perhaps at the back of my mind was the hope that it might prove suitable for an “inauguration anthem” for my husband’s inauguration as President of West Virginia Wesleyan College, but that was not uppermost in my mind at the outset. The best (most satisfying) part of writing the whole piece came when I had the idea for the ending with the delayed final major chord. I remember feeling excited at the effect it seemed likely to produce. I also enjoyed the realization that the second time through the material, to avoid a total “repetition” (albeit in another key) I could slow down one part by doubling the note values and achieving a contrast this way–especially by making it (virtually) a capella. So, the nature of the idea itself, plus the wrestling with it, brought about its ultimate form. It was not all conceived from the start by a long shot…but that seldom happens anyway.

I wrote out a piano accompaniment and then showed the manuscript to a few people at the college with the idea of its possible use at the Inauguration. But it seemed there would be no keyboard instrument at that occasion and someone suggested “translating” the accompaniment into brass instruments. I did this, with the help of the director of the band at the college, Mr. Dave Milburn, and it was performed at Ron’s inauguration on October 22, 1977 with a brass ensemble (two trumpets, two trombones) and the Tour Choir, under the direction of Mr. Jamie Schuppener.

I had listened to a choir rehearsal or two early in the fall (from manuscript) and made a few minor amendments in the score as a result (for better balance of voices and instruments) and the piece was finally published in the spring of 1977. I dedicated it to the W.V.W.C. Tour Choir, and put a footnote into the piece, giving credit to Jamie Schuppener as the director of the choir.

This piece has somehow traveled farther than any of mine, except perhaps for Baby, What You Goin’ To Be. It has been sung (many times, I understand) by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir over their regular radio broadcasts and by many other choral groups as well. The publisher made available a tape of the accompaniment (no voices), using brass and organ, so that small churches without these resources readily available can still sing the piece.

The cover (front) is very colorful and exemplifies the idea in the text but the back cover is uniquely appropriate to the “place of birth” of the piece, since it is the picture off the college catalog of W.V.W.C, taken in West Virginia not too far from Buckhannon. (The area looks like that!)

Something Worth Singing, and Something Worth Singing About 

In the book, Natalie Sleeth ends her preface (which she calls Sharings) with this:

I would somehow like to think that the messages of my texts, especially the “inspirational” ones, have the potential for educating, enlightening and enriching people (rather than simply entertaining them), and perhaps of making them somehow better than they were before they encountered my song. That is a lofty goal, to be sure, but I continue to seek it and to try to write “something worth singing, and something worth singing about.”

This Easter in particular, during the Pandemic of 2020, this song seems even more relevant than ever before. Not just for Buckhannon, or West Virginia, or the United States. For the entire world. With that in mind, I leave you with this video of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church Choir of Singapore singing Joy in the Morning in July 2014. Well done, Natalie Sleeth!!

Wesleyan Goes Goo Goo

Murmurmontis 1999

The Rockefeller gymnasium was packed with 2700 people for a concert featuring the Goo Goo Dolls. This group had been nominated for two Grammy awards that year for their hit song, Iris.

Murmurmontis 1999

At the Grammy Awards (February 24, 1999) they lost in both categories to Celine Dion for My Heart Will Go On, so that was pretty stiff competition!

Alisa Lively, Campus Activities Director, was responsible for bringing this event to campus. That evening they sang their top hits Name (1995), Slide (September 1998), and Iris (April 1998) for the appreciative crowd in Buckhannon.

Murmurmontis 1999

The warm-up band that day was The New Radicals, who opened for the Goo Goo Dolls on this tour (which started on March 30). Their only album,  Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too, had been released on October 20, 1998 and included the song You Get What You Give. 

Murmurmontis 1999

The New Radicals must have been having some internal conflict, though, because they ended up canceling their tour of the U.K. which had been scheduled to start on May 17. On July 12, they made the announcement in a press release that they were disbanding.

I don’t know what the New Radicals played on April 5, 1999 in Rockefeller Center, but here is the Set List from the Goo Goo Dolls!

Due to the magic of technology, you can enjoy the setlist from that April 5, 1999 concert in Rockefeller Center. Setlist.fm includes not only the list of songs that were played, but links to videos of the songs (although not necessarily from that night).

As I write this, it is April 2020. Social Distancing is important right now, and our campus is empty due to the pandemic.  It is hard to even imagine 2700 people gathered into Rockefeller. But Click Here to Hear The Music From That Concert!

Nurses on the Front Lines

Nurses and hospital workers are playing a vital role in helping the world through the COVID-19 Pandemic. This week I would like to give them all a shout out and a virtual hug for all that they are doing.

Struggles and Frustrations

During my years in the library, I would watch the dedicated nursing students as they worked extremely hard, many times through the tears and frustration required to master all of the important information.

Many of those people are out there this week, all over the country, providing care and being heroes. I have no doubt that many of them are again crying tears of frustration over the situation that they are involved with. I find it comforting to know how well prepared they are, and proud of WVWC for the strong Nursing Program that has prepared them.

 In particular, I want to honor and thank those who have founded, taught in, and been students in the Nursing Program at WVWC.

This summary is necessarily brief — to write the full rich history would take many books! 

1961

In 1961, President Stanley Martin hired Miss George Rast a full year before the first students were admitted to the program. A nurse educator since 1937, Miss Rast developed the curriculum, made connections for clinical placements, and took care of all of the administrative things that needed to be completed.  

1962

Eleven students enrolled in 1962, and five of these became the first graduates of the program in 1965.

Interest continued to grow. When the Admission reports came out in February of 1966 there were already thirty-one applicants for the program (second only to Education, which had 64).

Each year the students who have completed their first clinical program are honored at a capping ceremony. At the ceremony in 1974-75, there were thirty-four including a couple of males. 

Stronger Than Ever

During budget woes in 2004 there were plans to phase out the program. An outcry from community and college alike was heard by President Pamela Balch who reinstated it in October 2006 as her very first act when taking office.

From that low point, the program has come back stronger than ever. In fact, it now includes degrees at the masters and doctoral levels.  From 1999-2000 to 2018-19 (the past 20 years) Wesleyan has awarded 349 BSN degrees and 108 Masters degrees in Nursing fields

Advanced Degrees  
  • 2009 Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – with a Nursing Education Focus. This was quickly followed by a Master of Science in Nursing with a Nursing Administration Focus.
  • 2011 Master of Science in Advanced Practice (APRN) areas of Advanced Health Assessment, Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology. A collaboration was formed with Shenandoah University in order to make these degrees possible.
  • 2013 Because of expressed desire, interest, and need from the community of interest, the MSN program received approval for the the degrees of MSN-FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) and post-graduate APRN certificate (FNP with population focus of individual/family across the life span) in spring 2013, with the first cohort of students entering in fall 2013. Importantly, the decision was made at this time to utilize technology and adapt instruction  from face-to-face pedagogies to hybrid distance teaching methods. This decision was in great part the result of input from our community of interest and it has been an important part of our work in the MSN program for the last several years.
  • 2018 Doctorate of Nursing Practitioner (DNP) began enrolling students, and the first class will graduate in May 2020.

Facilities

The present-day Erickson Alumni Center was purchased as the home of the brand new nursing department In 1961, and remained the home for ten years until Middleton Hall was built in 1971.

The simulation lab is a state-of-the-art facility giving students plenty of hands on training on campus as well as in their clinical placements at hospitals and other health facilities in the area.

Great curriculum + Great faculty + Great facilities = Successful Alumni

The Winter/Spring edition of the Sundial told of the success of graduates. You can read the full article by clicking on the link above.

“Wesleyan alumni nurses are known for their level of expertise, sensitivity, and care. Many hold leadership positions in some of the nation’s best hospitals. However, all have a common goal – to be a caregiver to those who need help. Whether it is in administration, cardiac care, community health, emergency rooms, intensive care units, medical-surgical care, neonatal, oncology, or women’s health, Wesleyan nurses make a difference.”

Our graduates are out there making a huge difference. They are heroes.

And yes, a WVWC Nursing Grad works there……

HUGS!!

Many thanks to Tammy Crites, Director of Institutional Research and to Dr. Susan Leight, Professor of Nursing and director of the West Virginia Wesleyan School of Nursing and the MSN and DNP programs, for some background information and numbers!

Out of Control? Get Creative.

Things are not normal at the moment in Buckhannon, but this is not the first time that such disruptions have taken place. The last major one was in the 1970s.  

Photo by Howard Hiner

1970s Oil Crisis and the Aftermath

Following the OPEC Oil Embargo (October 1973-March 1974) oil was scarce and prices were very high. Economies around the world were in trouble, suffering some of the worst losses since the Great Depression. This situation had repercussions for years on the campus finances, academic schedules, and the necessity of conserving energy in every possible way. President Jay Rockefeller had his hands full.

Pharos, February 12, 1975

1975

At 3:00 on January 24, 1975, the Special Study Team on Energy Conservation met in the Trustee’s Room in the Martin Religious Center to begin their work: to find out how the college could survive. The team, led by Don Richardson, Vice President for Finance, worked for weeks to get the best possible information. They worked with conservation experts from Columbia Gas and researched all of the things being done all across the country to gather the best information. 

The February 12, 1975 Pharos included this story on the front page. The recommenations were dire. Cut fuel consumption by 40% in non-residential buildings and a voluntary 15% in residence halls.  

Faculty members also began using the college radio station to record lectures and distance learning took its place in college offerings. This, and another form of outreach, lectures via cassette tape, was something that would be welcomed in the following years.

This was not a crisis that was quickly solved. It took years.

1977

The May 1977 issue of the Sundial News included a story about the historic “Winter of 77” and the drastic measures that were taken. Click here to read the story. 

Sundial News, May 1977

WVWC closed for three weeks (January 26-February 21) due to the loss of gas heating supplies, and January term on campus was cancelled. The faculty got creative. During January one hundred and thirty-three students, eleven professors, and five staff members went south and held classes on the campus of Florida Atlantic University. Two hundred other students studied at home by radio cassette tape lectures, readings, and mailing in their work to the professors. President Ronald Sleeth worked tirelessly to try and keep everything afloat.

When everyone returned on February 21, faculty reworked their syllabi, and did the best that they could with the situation. Saturday classes were instituted for the rest of the semester to make up for the lost time. Strict conservation measures were in place throughout that time as well.

Major Life Events of All Kinds Require a Reset

Retirement, marriage, being new parents, moving to a new city, getting a divorce, starting a new job, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires: all of these can cause us to make major adjustments. It requires us to do a Control-Alt-Delete type of reset for our lives. Control what we can, find alternative ways to do things, and delete things that are no longer needed or relevant.

Pandemic of 2020

With face-to-face classes cancelled for the rest of the semester, WVWC faculty members are once again making major adjustments. They are doing an amazing job of transitioning to online instruction, and finding creative ways to connect with their students. They are also finding time to catch their breath from the frantic pace of the world. Although there is still a great deal to do, they can do it at a different pace.

Students are learning to cope with the realization that in addition to the course content, they must conquer the technology and the needed discipline to remember that they are still in the middle of classes. They are not on vacation. They, like so many people, are working from home.

 Staff members have set up home offices, and are doing an extraordinary job of staying connected and productive. New initiatives are in the works, and there are new ways of having meetings.

Creative World

The entire world is being creative. People are singing from balconies in Italy, having youth group scavenger hunts, weddings, and finding ways to do extended family game nights via Zoom. They are learning American Sign Language and practicing with friends who are far away.

Museums are having virtual exhibits. Authors are reading their works on Facebook and YouTube. People are reaching out to share their talents and gifts with others. Churches are making their services available via Live Streaming and archiving them on YouTube, having virtual Sunday School via Zoom, and being sure to call and care for those who may be needing attention and company. 

Some of these things have been there for years, but we haven’t taken the time to notice. At this time of being apart, you can take the time to explore, to be involved, to be entertained, and learn new skills. Time is something that many of us have generally found hard to come by — but now that is different for at least a few weeks.

Try some of these!

Here are just a few examples of what you can find from the comfort of your own home.

Book of Kells Online from Trinity College, Dublin

CLIO – when you can’t travel, check out this amazing website. Try searching for WVWC, your own home town, or somewhere you’ve always been curious about.

Google Arts and Culture  –More than 1,000 virtual tours, museums, and cultural treasures. Even a whole section on dinosaurs! A few examples include Tour the Palace of Versaille, Vincent Van Gogh, Walk Around Yellowstone Park

Hogwarts Digital Escape Room – The Peters Township Public Library in McMurray, PA has created this.

Internet Archive has enough to keep you busy exploring for several hundred years (billions)! For example: 307 items that WVWC has included, The Wayback Machine, Movies, Audio, Software, and even Classic Video Games

Israel Museum has many exhibits including the Dead Sea Scrolls 

Things to Do:

Besides the great collections at the Library of Congress, you can also participate in a Crowdsourcing Project called By the People to transcribe materials. Sign up to help transcribe Letters to Lincoln, Rosa Parks in Her Own Words, Suffrage materials, and more all from wherever you are. Click here to see what it’s all about.

Creativity and Survival

During this time of distancing to slow the spread of the COVID-19 Virus, I wish you some time to stop, think deeply, and be creative.