WVU Parkersburg joins planning efforts for national Center for Technological Entrepreneurship FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Parkersburg, W.Va., 8/24/11 - West Virginia University at Parkersburg will collaborate in the planning of a national Center for Technological Entrepreneurship (CTE). The National Science Foundation awarded a year-long grant to CUNY Kingsborough Community College to fund the planning of this project. The first planning meeting will take place in Washington, D.C. this fall. The new center will deliver entrepreneurial and business skills to classrooms across the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) spectrum. Goals for the CTE include developing and maintaining modular curricular materials, mentoring and establishing a network of faculty demonstration sites, and hosting a network of entrepreneurial student activities in STEM. “We have always been engaged and interested in promoting the STEM professions,” said Rhonda Tracy, WVU Parkersburg senior vice president of academic affairs. “This planning grant will allow us to examine ways we can convert the skills in these professions into entrepreneurial opportunities.” In 2008, WVU Parkersburg acquired a 32,000-square-foot building in downtown Parkersburg and is currently renovating the facility that will serve as a catalyst for economic development programming and entrepreneurship activities. The planning grant collaboration will provide training materials and resources for entrepreneurial and STEM activities that support economic development as part of programming offered through the new downtown center location. Other partner institutions include: Boston Advanced Technological Education Connections; University of Wisconsin-Madison Internet Scout's ATE Central; Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center; Kentucky Information Technology Center; BioLink National Advanced Technological Education Center; GeoTech Center at Del Mar Community College; York Technical College; Bevill State Community College, Howard Community College; Bunker Hill Community College; Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development; National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship; National Council for Workforce Education; IBM; Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship at Baruch College; Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation; and Industrial Technology Assistance Corporation. For additional information, contact: Katie Wootton WVU Parkersburg Director of Marketing and Communications 304-424-8203 E-mail Recent Releases News Archive