President Gee

Think you know WVU President Gordon Gee? Think again. Before you take your next selfie with him, get to know the man-behind-the-bowtie better with this rapid-fire Q&A edition of Gee Mail.

The journey toward life-long passion and purpose begins this week as West Virginia University welcomes 6,650 new students to its campuses in Morgantown, Beckley and Keyser for the 2018-19 academic year.

Tune in Sunday to see West Virginia University President Gordon Gee, bowtie and all, hammering nails and sawing wood as the Barnwood Builders episode, taped earlier this year at WVU Jackson’s Mill, airs on the DIY network Sunday (Aug. 5) at 9 p.m.

The WVU Foundation says 23,161 donors, including 12,471 alumni, made 46,056 gifts between July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018 totaling $161,029,056. Only in FY’12 did the Foundation raise more - $173.9 million, a year that included two exceptionally large philanthropic gifts. FY’18 was buoyed by three record months of giving in July ($12.9 million), August ($12 million), and December ($49.5 million).

West Virginia University researchers are opening a new facility to capture valuable materials from a novel source – acid mine drainage from coal mining – turning the unwanted waste into critical components used in today’s technology-driven society.

With the announcement that Carolyn Long has been selected to temporarily lead the state’s higher education coordination body, Gerald Lang has been named interim campus president at West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley.

In this edition of Gee Mail, President Gordon Gee visits with faculty and students conducting research across campus on a diverse plate of offerings — from poultry to forensics to neurosciences.

Hoping to build on the success of their inaugural Day of Giving last fall, West Virginia University Foundation officials have announced plans to conduct a second WVU Day of Giving on Nov. 14.

It comes as a surprise to some that West Virginia and its flagship university have both produced a cavalcade of distinguished leaders in business, science, government, the arts and the military, just to name some areas.

Monday (June 4), seven current and former WVU Medicine Children’s patients grabbed a shovel and a hard hat to turn some dirt at a ceremonial groundbreaking for a $150-million hospital that will revolutionize the care of women and children in West Virginia and the region.