A generous gift to West Virginia University from professor emeritus Joginder Nath will establish an annual awards program for Honors College students and continue the Nath Lecture Series.

The donation will enable two cash awards to be given each year to outstanding seniors in the Honors College in honor of Dr. Nath and his wife, Charlotte. Students selected also will receive a recognition plaque.

Nath retired in 2009 after serving as a professor of genetics at WVU for 43 years. He helped to start the genetics and developmental biology program at WVU, and served many years as chair of the department. Nath also served on the WVU Honors Council.

“I felt that students who work hard for four years deserve to be recognized and honored,” Nath said. “The award is for academic excellence, but extracurricular activities will also be taken into account.”

Recipients will be chosen in accordance with the criteria established by the University Honors Council and the dean of the University Honors Program. Nath noted that student representatives will be involved with the selection process, allowing candidates to be evaluated from a peer perspective, as well.

Part of the gift also will be used to support the continuation of the Nath Lecture Series.

For years, the series has sponsored lectures by distinguished external scientists and scholars, including many individuals that Nath has met throughout his career. WVU faculty members have been featured as well.

The topics of the lectures range from political science to toxicology, and genetics to astronomy. Nath said he wants to see the series grow and reach more individuals.

“We would like to see more people from the state, and certainly from the city, attend these lectures,” Nath said. “I haven’t missed a single one, and I have met people who have come from Fairmont for the lectures. If people can come from Fairmont, why not more people from WVU and Morgantown?”

Nath hopes more faculty and students will become engaged in the series in the future.

“I want to leave a legacy behind and that legacy is a way of recognizing students and to have a speaker every year,” he said.

This gift is the latest of many Nath has made to WVU. Over the years, he has supported the student food pantry, “The Rack”, the Art Museum of WVU, graduate student travel, and local hospitals.

Nath’s contribution was made in conjunction with A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University. The $1 billion fundraising effort by the WVU Foundation on behalf of the University runs through December 2017.

-WVUF-

hk/11/5/2015

CONTACT: Bill Nevin, WVU Foundation
304-284-4056, wnevin@wvuf.org

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