Throughout his lifetime, West Virginia University engineering alumnus Glen H. Hiner has proven himself to be extraordinary in terms of his business leadership, as well as his integrity, vision and loyalty to his alma mater and his home state of West Virginia.
Hiner, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Owens-Corning, and his wife, Ann, recently announced the creation of an endowment to support the deanship of WVU s College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.
To commemorate the many achievements of this exceptional alumnus, the college has established the Glen H. Hiner Deanship, forever tying the Hiner name to the leadership of the college.
The Hiner gift will provide discretionary funds to support the deanship and special projects for the college. The holder of the deanship will be known as The Glen H. Hiner Dean and Professor, and the first recipient is current Dean Eugene Cilento.
I am most honored and privileged to be the first recipient of this deanship,Cilento said.Both Glen and Ann have been extremely generous with their time and resources to the University for many years, and this most recent gift will be immeasurable to the growth and recognition of the college for generations of students and faculty to come.
WVU cannot fully express its gratitude and appreciation for the remarkable dedication Glen Hiner has shown for the state and the University,said WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr.And we are proud to name the deans position in the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources in honor of a proven leader.
Hiner is a true West Virginian. A native of Morgantown and the son of a West Virginia coal miner and elementary schoolteacher, Hiner publicly acknowledges his home states culture as the source of his high values and formula for success.
He has served on several WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources advisory committees, and in 2002 he began sharing his leadership and expertise with WVU students as a visiting professor for the College of Business and Economics. In this, he demonstrates two of the most important attributes of a leaderthe desire to teach and the desire to give back to those who played a part in ones success.
In 1957, Hiner earned a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from WVU and began his 35-year tenure with the General Electric Co. During the 13 years he led GE Plastics, the business grew from less than $1 billion to $5 billion in annual sales.
Following his own advice tolook to the highest goal you can achieve,Hiner left GE to accept the leadership of Owens Corning in 1992. In his decade as chairman and CEO , he established a global vision for Owens Corning, focusing on three guiding principles: customer satisfaction, individual dignity and shareholder value.
The company introduced new products, built new manufacturing facilities around the world, launched its System Thinking business strategy and underwent a major restructuring initiative. When Hiner took the reins, Owens Corning sales hovered at $3 billion. When he retired in 2002, sales had grown to $5 billion, with operations in more than 30 countries on six continents.
Hiners achievements have brought him much acclaim. He received an honorary doctorate in science from WVU , was inducted into the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni and spoke as an Acordia Royal/SunAlliance Distinguished Lecturer at the WVU College of Business and Economics.
In 2004, he was inducted into the WVU Order of Vandalia for distinguished service to the university and state, and the Society of the Plastics Industry bestowed on him its highest honor, the Dan Fox Lifetime Achievement Award, in 1994. He also received an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., in 1997.
Not surprisingly, Hiners leadership is much sought-after, and he serves on the board of the WVU Foundation as well as a as director for several companies, including the Dana Corp., Prudential Financial Inc. and the Kohler Co. He also has served as an adviser to a number of civic organizations in the communities where he has resided.
The Hiner gift was made through the WVU Foundation, a private non-profit corporation that generates and provides support for West Virginia University.