West Virginia University, West Virginia. (August 21st, 2014) – The newly named West Virginia University Reed College of Media (formerly the P.I. Reed School of Journalism) begins its 75th year on the WVU campus with a new name, upgraded facilities and new curriculum.

On Monday (Aug. 18), College of Media students were the first to use the new Alexis and Jim Pugh Media Innovation Lab on the second floor of Martin Hall. Built this summer, the lab is an open, flexible environment that offers students access to the latest media technology and fosters creativity, ideation and product development.

The lab houses a customized teaching wall, collaboration tables and a digital media bridge. The multi-screen system features streaming data, multimedia and social media content that faculty can integrate into their teaching.

In addition to a classroom space, the lab will serve as an incubator where students and faculty will develop, test and deploy new media applications, platforms and strategies.

UPDATED JOURNALISM MAJOR
The college also launched its revamped journalism major this fall. The updated major replaces the current areas of emphasis in print, television and visual journalism with a more flexible and adaptive course of study that empowers each student to design an individualized career path.

Rather than taking a prescribed list of courses in a single area of emphasis, journalism students will have a wider selection of courses to take among three “skill areas” of writing, media creation and audience engagement, as well as a converged capstone course and at least one major elective. The college’s in-house advising team will provide students with suggested coursework based on professional tracks, such as reporting and editing, television journalism, magazine journalism, media design, sports reporting, documentary journalism and more.

Students will also be able to design a professional track of their own making based on their career goals and interests. In all cases, students will gain the knowledge and skills to be professional communicators across a variety of modern media platforms.

NEW MINOR: INTERACTIVE MEDIA DESIGN
Announced in spring, the new minor in interactive design is now available for students in the College of Media and the College of Creative Arts. The minor allows students to acquire skills in interactive design, visual narrative and new technologies that will enable them to compete in an increasingly digital and visual medial environment.

Students may take courses such as Game Design and Digital Narrative, which use game theory to build interactive stories; and Designing for Multimedia, which emphasizes visual design for digital and multimedia platforms.

Throughout the year, the College of Media will host a series of activities to commemorate its 75th anniversary, beginning with a celebratory event on September 30 from 4-6 p.m. in Woodburn Circle. More details will be provided at a later date.

©2014 West Virginia University. Last modified: July 24, 2014.
Kimberly Walker, Reed College of Media
[email protected]

FAIRMONT, West Virginia. (November 5, 2013) – A ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 29, celebrated the renovation and expansion of the Starbucks located inside the Ruth Ann Musick Library on the shared main campus of Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College.

Because of its growing popularity in the campus community, the Starbucks in the Ruth Ann Musick Library has been redesigned, renovated and expanded. The project completed this fall included the demolition of the existing coffee shop area. The design was revised to improve the customer experience and make the space more functional for employees and equipment.

During the ceremony, Paul Kowalczyk, Regional Vice President of Operations for Aladdin Food Management Services, presented FSU President Maria Rose and Pierpont President Doreen Larson with a $20,000 gift to go toward the construction project.

Construction included all new cabinetry, countertops, a lockable storage room, flooring, lighting, plumbing fixtures, new paint scheme and an open box ceiling grid. The project was completed by The Thrasher Group and Lombardi Development Co. in coordination with the campus Physical Plant.

New espresso machines, Starbucks water softener, fridge units, blenders, a self-serve case and an ice maker were purchased. The renovation also includes a new separation wall to define the coffee shop space and create more seating options. New furniture for inside the Starbucks area and the outside patio was purchased. Menu options also have been upgraded to include specialty drinks, sandwiches and salads.

During the event, guests were invited to sample new specialty drinks and enjoy light refreshments. Students participated in a door prize drawing.

Copyright, 2013, Fairmont State University All Rights Reserved
Amy Pellegrin [email protected]

FOLLANSBEE, West Virginia. (Jul 13, 2013) – Local teacher James McFadden noted West Virginia had the highest number of casualties among U.S. states – 711, or 39.9 deaths per 100,000 people, according to officials with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

And that number includes at least 16 Brooke County and Weirton residents whose names are among more than 58,000 displayed on the Moving Wall, a half-size replica of the monument in Washington on display at the Follansbee Middle School football field from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. today and Sunday in conjunction with the Follansbee Community Days festival.

As key speaker for a service at the wall Friday, McFadden said whenever he has visited the monument in Washington, he has sought the name of Floyd Deal, a childhood friend who was one of 3,000 medical corpsmen who were killed while attempting to save others.

He said Deal’s younger brother struggled with his death and visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial helped him to come to terms with it. While there, Deal’s brother felt Floyd’s presence and fully understood he was not alone, that many others lost loved ones in the war, McFadden said.

Members of the Follansbee Community Days Committee and Follansbee Chamber of Commerce, who worked to bring the Moving Wall to Follansbee, hope it will help families and friends to pay tribute to lost loved ones and to make younger generations aware of their sacrifices.

Comprised of sturdy aluminum panels, the 252-foot long mobile wall was built through the efforts of John Devitt of California, a helicopter crew chief during the war, fellow Vietnam veterans and others. After attending the 1982 dedication of the monument in Washington, Devitt wanted to share his experience with those unable to travel to the nation’s capitol.

During the service McFadden called Vietnam veterans forward to be recognized, noting they often didn’t get “the handshake, hug or thank you” they’d hoped for when they returned from the war.

He told them, “Thank you, thank you, thank you – that will never be enough for your service.”

Local organizers of the Moving Wall’s visit have identified 16 Brooke County and Weirton men whose names appear on the two monuments: Thomas Brooks, Dennis Bucklew, Joseph Craft, Mark Cool, Harold Dawson, Robert Durbin, James Ennis, Joe Funk II, Paul Goggin, Harry Lauck, Robert Lazear, Robert Mossgrove, John Olenick, Joseph Perito, Paul Salerno and Raymond Salzarulo.

Jim Piccirillo, president of the Brooke County school board, noted there may be others as servicemen usually were identified by the military for the city where they enlisted instead of their hometowns.

Escorted by area emergency personnel, the Moving Wall was transported from Weirton to the football field Thursday morning by a truck with Vietnam Combat Veterans of White Pine, Mich., which has arranged for the wall to be transported to hundreds of public places throughout the U.S.

Councilman at large Domenick Micucci, an Army Vietnam War veteran, said seeing the wall and the deaths it memorializes brings “mixed emotions. But I think it’s great that people have a chance to see it state to state. This will be talked about here for a long time.”

Members of Follansbee American Legion Post 45, the Steubenville chapter of the Vietnam Veterans Support Group and Ohio Valley Veterans Memorial Squad as well as other community members were on hand Thursday morning to assemble the Moving Wall under the direction of staff with Vietnam Combat Veterans Ltd.

Bill Haught, commander of Follansbee American Legion Post 45, served during the war but wasn’t deployed to Vietnam.

“I knew a lot of guys that went. A couple on the wall – Joey Perito and Dennis Bucklew – were friends of mine. There are some others I went to school with,” he said.

Perito’s mother, Sandy, lay a wreath at the wall on behalf of all Gold Star Mothers, a group that includes mothers whose children died while serving in wars. Wreaths also were placed by Vietnam War veterans Hartzel Brady, John Cox, Mike Highfield, Stephen Jasko and Larry Lauffer.

Brady said among the many whose names appear on the wall is Ed Bovien of Mexico, Maine, whom he befriended in Vietnam. Bovien was killed in an ambush on Thanksgiving Day just five days before he was to return home, Brady said.

With a low, solemn voice, he commented, “What are you going to do? That’s the way it was.”

OVVMS Commander Doug Lilly brought several items for display at the site, including a framed photo of the The Three Soldiers, a monument near the Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington that consists of a bronze statue depicting three soldiers, one a white American, another a black American and another a Hispanic American.

Jack Ernest of Richmond, chaplain of the Vietnam Veterans Support Group, said, ” I think it’s a great thing for the community and an opportunity for people to see the wall, see the names and hopefully realize what a tremendous debt was paid for American freedom.”

Judy Colley of Wellsburg came Friday to see her cousin Robert Lazear’s name.

“I would never be able to get to Washington. This is such a blessing. When I heard this was coming, I knew I had to be there,” she said.

Greg Cheeks of Wellsburg, who served in Southeast Asia during the war, noted volunteers will be on hand to help visitors find the names of loved ones.

The Follansbee Community Days Committee and Follansbee Chamber of Commerce, led by Tom Ludewig and Nina Meca, raised about $5,000 to bring the wall to the city, build a platform for it, decorate it and provide security at night.

Chamber President Tony Paesano said among the many involved were local contractor Lombardi Development, which built the platform, and Ianetti’s Garden Center of Burgettstown, which donated flowers for the site.

Among the many involved in the service were the Tri-State Young Marines, Brent Kimball, who performed the national anthem and other patriotic music; Monsignor Paul Hudok; and Christian Assembly Pastor Joe Cuomo.

Copyright, 2013, Herald-Star | Link