New website for WVU Alumni: http://alumni.wvu.edu
Message from the Chair
The Gift That Lasts a Lifetime
The Bennett Department of Chemistry is devoted to the three major missions of the University: teaching, research and service. Other parts of this web site provide information on these missions. I would like to emphasize several points. First, the Department provides service teaching in general and organic chemistry to a large number of WVU students, roughly 3500 students per year in general chemistry courses and 1000 students per year in organic chemistry courses. I believe that we do a good job at teaching these students, and we are constantly striving to improve in that mission. The recent hiring of Dr. Michelle Richards-Babb as a Chemical Educator is an example of our effort in that direction. Another example is the Chemistry Learning Center.
Second, the Department educates chemistry majors in the BS and BA degrees programs and majors in the BA biochemistry degree program. In addition, the Department works closely with the Forensic & Investigative Science degree program and has the Forensic Chemistry (lecture and lab) course as part of the chemistry curriculum. We are proud of the very high success rates our graduating students have in finding jobs and being admitted to graduate schools and medical schools. The Department organizes an annual Careers for Chemists event to inform students of career options.
Third, all of the tenure-track faculty are research-active (link to research faculty page); they seek external funding, they train graduate students and research associates (postdoctoral fellows), they publish in peer-reviewed scientific journals and they give presentations at scientific meetings, other universities, and national laboratories. Current external funding in the Department exceeds $2 million per year.
Fourth, the Department has an active graduate program with MS and PhD degrees. Most of the approximately 50 graduate students are PhD candidates. Besides research, the graduate students are essential to the teaching mission as teaching assistants. The GTAs typically supervise three lab sections per week. They are in a lab room with 16 to 24 students and are charged with the responsibility of overseeing the education and safety of the students in the lab.
Fifth, the graduating students provide a valuable resource of highly trained personnel for West Virginia. Many of our former students work at Mylan Pharmaceuticals here in Morgantown. I receive requests from area government laboratories for names of students that they can recruit.
The Department is pleased to have a number of endowments and funds to support the teaching and research mission (see below). General donations to the Chair?s Fund are greatly appreciated. My highest priority as Chair is to seek additional support for graduate students. Graduate teaching assistantship stipends at WVU are low compared to GTA stipends at equivalent chemistry graduate programs in nearby states. This fact hurts graduate recruiting. The various graduate scholarships and fellowships (see below) provide extra financial support for 14 graduates students. The Eberly College provides funds for an additional 6 graduate students. Endowments to support scholarships of $2000 or more per academic year for graduate students would greatly benefit graduate recruiting, and consequently both the research and teaching mssion of the Department. Endowments to support graduate students are funded at the $50,000 level. This can be accomplished through an outright gift, a 5-year pledge, a transfer of stock, or a bequest in your will. Establishing a graduate student fellowship also allows you a naming opportunity. For further information, please contact Rudy Almasy, Interim Dean, Eberly College of Arts & Sciences, WVU.
Newsletter
The Department publishes an annual newsletter, Chemistry News. The newsletter is an excellent resource for keeping up with the rapid changes in the Department. If you are not receiving a complimentary copy and wish to do so, please let us know at chemistry@mail.wvu.edu.
Funds
You can help to create a bright future for a deserving chemistry undergraduate or graduate student Below is a list of existing scholarships and fellowships. For more information on how to create a scholarship, please contact Dr. Harry O. Finklea at Harry.Finklea@mail.wvu.edu (alternative: chemistry@mail.wvu.edu). For additional information on gift opportunities at WVU, please contact Deborah Miller at the WVU Foundation (dmiller@wvuf.org, 800-847-3856 or 304-284-4033).
Scholarships for undergraduate chemistry & biochemistry majors:
JOHN A. MOORE TRUST SCHOLARSHIP
ROBERT L. & PATRICIA MILLER STULTZ SCHOLARSHIP
WILLARD W. HODGE SCHOLARSHIPS
T. JACK CARPENTER SCHOLARSHIP
JOHN H. STROHL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
CHARLES L. LAZZELL SCHOLARSHIP
Fellowships and Scholarships for chemistry graduate students are typically $2000 per academic year and are use for graduate recruiting and as reward for outstanding performance as a graduate student.
JOHN R. CONARD ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS
C. EUGENE BENNETT FELLOWSHIPS
JOHN H. TROTTER GRADUATE CHEMISTRY SCHOLARSHIPS
The Eberly College of Arts & Sciences also provides fellowships for chemistry graduate students.
HERF SUPPLEMENTARY FELLOWSHIP
ENDOWED DOCTORAL TEACHING SUPPLEMENTAL FELLOWSHIP
Other endowments:
The Department also receives financial support from the following endowments:
C. EUGENE & EDNA P. BENNETT CAREERS FOR CHEMISTS
BENNETT CHAIR
C. EUGENE BENNETT CHEMISTRY ENHANCEMENT
Donations to the following funds assist in the operation of the Department. Contributions to this fund are used to support the seminar & colloquium program, curriculum enhancements, student recruiting, student and faculty travel, and a variety of other activities. If you wish to make a contribution, please send a check to the WVU Foundation, Inc., and designate the appropriate fund on the memo line. If you would prefer to contribute using your VISA or MasterCard, please call the Foundation at (800) 847-3856. If your employer participates in a matching gifts plan, please complete the paperwork to enhance your contribution.
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY CHAIR?S FUND (2V015)
CHEMISTRY ENHANCEMENT FUND (2V592)
If you are interested in helping our students to become tomorrow?s leaders in industry, academia, government, and medicine, consider creating an endowed fund that will last forever and will provide annual income. The fund can be created in your name or in memory of a loved one. Some useful choices are:
Library resources $10,000
Scholarship $25,000
Program support $25,000(can specify use for technology purchases or student travel)
Fellowship $50,000
Presidential scholarship $100,000
Lecture series $100,000
Professorship $350,000
Chair $1,000,000
Any of these funds can be built up over a five-year period or can be created through a will or other estate planning gift. For more information on how to create an endowment, please contact Dr. Terry Gullion at Terry.Gullion@mail.wvu.edu or
(304) 293-6408.
