WVU Parkersburg to celebrate Honors college student achievements

WVU Parkersburg to celebrate the achievements of its Honors College students.

CONTACT: Gregg Busch, Honors College director, 304-424-8000, ext. 409.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Virginia University at Parkersburg will celebrate the achievements of its Honors College students in a day-long observance on Wednesday (Dec. 5).

The honors students will be featured in an exhibition of their semester projects from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the college's community room. Students will share their research and active learning experiences via project displays. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

An honors seminar featuring Wess Harris, president of Appalachian Community Services, Inc. as keynote speaker will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. in the college theatre. Harris's presentation is entitled "Activism in the Hills: The Story of Blair Mountain and Other Social Inequalities facing West Virginia's Working Class."

From 7 to 8 p.m., a reception will be held in the students' honor outside the college theatre. Also to be recognized will be faculty who served as Honors College Faculty and the program's Honors College Council.

WVU Parkersburg's Honors College provides enhanced learning opportunities for talented students in both academic and career programs to enable them to develop to their fullest potential, noted Gregg Busch, Honors College director. Students with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or more are automatic members of the Honors College and may request honors credit from honors faculty.

Harris earned his bachelor's degree from Ohio Northern University and his master's from Ohio State University. He is a certified underground coal miner in West Virginia and a licensed clinical social worker. He has appeared on the History Channel as an expert discussing the Battle of Blair Mountain in West Virginia and the social inequality faced by miners and West Virginia's working class. He taught for over 30 years and currently hosts students from around the country at his farm to study sustainable agriculture, Appalachian culture and history, and community organizing. Currently, he serves on the Board of the West Virginia Labor History Association.

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For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
WVU Parkersburg
Executive Director
Institutional Advancement
(304-424-8203, Office)
(304-424-8315, Fax)