Investing in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

W E S T V I R G I N I A U N I V E R S I T Y On January 12, 2012, West Virginia University’s College of Engineering and

Mineral Resources received an unprecedented gift of $34 million from mining

engineering alumnus Ben Statler and his wife, Jo. This gift was matched with

$11 million dollars from the state of West Virginia’s Research Trust Fund,

bringing its total value to $45 million. In honor of this gift, the WVU Board of

Governors voted to rename the College the Benjamin M. Statler College of

Engineering and Mineral Resources.

This transformational gift from the Statlers helped catapult the College into

the forefront of America’s engineering and energy-research institutions. But

there is still work to be done. The people and industries of the state expect

much from us: knowledge, research, boldness, bright ideas, and bright

graduates. With your generosity and commitment, we can meet and exceed

these expectations.

This College is all about opportunity,

about giving bright kids the chance to

become an engineer and to help build

the future—no matter where they begin.

The Benjamin m. STaTler College ofengineering and mineral reSourCeS:a STaTe of mindS

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Nearly 125 years have passed since

engineering was added to the curriculum

at WVU, and there is little that an engineer of

1887 would recognize in our technology-driven,

high-velocity, global environment. The basics still

apply, of course: forces, physics, and energy. And

engineers are a forward-looking bunch—show them

something that works better than what they know,

and even if they were hard-pressed to imagine it,

they will still adopt it, adapt it, understand it, and

make it work even better than better.

The students, faculty, and staff in the

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and

Mineral Resources have a similar mindset. As the

world has changed (and, of course, engineering

is very often how the world is changed), we

have changed ahead of it. Changed the ways

in which we educate our students, changed

the technologies and approaches we use to

continue to reflect what practitioners will find

in a challenge-filled and opportunity-rich future,

and changed the way we marshal our research

and intellectual capital—our State of Minds—to

serve the people and industries of West Virginia.

We have added a wealth of new multidisciplinary

programs, added additional talented faculty

as teachers and researchers, and added new

students—now more than 3,000 are learning

here—to become the leaders of tomorrow in

engineering and mineral resources.

All of this progress has brought us growing

national recognition overall as well as national

prominence in areas ranging from biometric

engineering to advanced materials; from coal,

gas, and oil to alternative fuels; and from cyber

security to nanotechnology. Each of these things

will be very important for the citizens and

businesses of West Virginia as we bring our State

of Minds to bear on the goals of growing and

diversifying our economy.

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for the 21st century. And we are completely

focused on outcomes, on opportunities, and

on collaboration with other areas of this great

university and other leading-edge thinkers in this

great state and beyond. The Statler College has

an exceptional group of alumni who are leaders

around the country and around the world, and

we greatly value our connections to that well of

wisdom and experience.

The past decade has seen tremendous success

and growth at the Statler College, and this is

our moment to leverage that strength with the

combined power of the Statlers’ vision for creating

the nation’s premier school in engineering and

energy research and your vital generosity to create

a burgeoning engine of change and innovation.

In all the disciplines of engineering and energy

research, we face strong and accelerating

international competition. We must do more at

both the undergraduate and graduate levels of

We have a healthy respect for our core

values and traditions at the Statler

College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

Two that stand out: an absolute commitment

to the quality of our programs—nothing is ever

added until we are confident that we can do it as

well or better than our peer institutions—and a

value-added approach for our students and their

careers. We have a greater-than-average number

of first-generation university students in West

Virginia, and we have always been dedicated

to providing exceptional opportunities to every

student, helping them go farther and achieve

more than even they imagined.

That being said, everything else is on the

table. Everything that is better, smarter, more

experiential, more connected to the community,

and more likely to lead to innovation is in the

mix. We have no interest in the accepted wisdom

unless it can be proven to be the best course

The TrajeCTory of SuCCeSS

education to meet that competition. Our students

must learn more, learn sooner, and learn faster.

Undergraduate programs must become more

sophisticated, interdisciplinary, and problem-

based. Graduate programs must become more

cutting-edge, more informed by research.

For any of that to happen, the Statler

College—partnered with you—must continue

to invest in new facilities, new programs, and

new collaborations. Our resources must match

the talents and aspirations of our students and

faculty. And our outcomes must directly benefit

the economic health of West Virginia. Only

then—and only with you—will our State of

Minds be complete. The Statlers’ gift has put

the College in a powerful position to achieve

ever more for our students, our state, and

our world. Together, we will build upon our

tradition, our potential, and the demonstrated

commitment of our alumni.

The people and industries of West Virginia expect much from us: knowledge,

research, boldness, bright ideas, and bright graduates. We can and will

exceed those expectations—but only with your generosity and commitment.

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the number of doctoral students over the next

decade. To continue our momentum in student

recruitment, we will seek an endowment of

$15 million in scholarship and fellowship support.

Faculty SupportTo maintain an acceptable student-to-faculty ratio,

we will increase our tenure-track faculty members

Student EnrichmentDuring the next decade, the Statler College will

grow enrollment to more than 4,000 students

without sacrificing student quality or accessibility,

while increasing diversity. The Statler College

has implemented a successful program to attract

National Merit Finalists and other exceptional

students through targeted scholarship support.

However, the program is limited by the size of our

endowment. In keeping with national challenges,

we must increase the number of domestic graduate

students attending our institution. Graduate

students perform the work that drives our

research agenda. Furthermore, doctoral-granting

institutions like WVU are judged most often by

the number and quality of their Ph.D. graduates.

Therefore, the Statler College will strive to double

PrioriTieS for Tomorrow

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The Benjamin M. Statler College of

Engineering and Mineral Resources has

identified a list of essential funding priorities

through A State of Minds: The Campaign for

West Virginia’s University that, with your vital

support, will power our accomplishments in

education and research in the coming decades.

As does everything at the Statler College, they

begin with students and go on to address our

many responsibilities to our community. These

priorities center around creating future-focused

facilities, attracting the best and the brightest

(students and faculty), educating students

well, preparing students for virtually anything,

placing them in careers where they can do well,

and also supporting faculty as they discover new

ideas and create new possibilities:

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to 150 in the next decade. New and replacement

hires will be made on a strategic basis to promote

interdisciplinary approaches toward research and

teaching with an emphasis on areas consistent

with the engineering challenges identified for

West Virginia’s future. The Statler College must

also be a national leader in faculty research that

supports the efficient and full use of the energy

resources available in this state to keep America

strong. To attract talented young faculty, the

Statler College must increase its number of

teaching fellowships and the “start-up packages”

needed to launch their research programs.

During the capital campaign, we will seek to

raise $15 million in private support for faculty-

based endowments.

Campus DevelopmentWith past and future expansion in academic

programs, research, and the number of students

studying engineering at WVU, the Statler College

is limited in space. A new research building

is planned that will support laboratory work,

classrooms, faculty space, and space for student

projects. With projected costs of at least

$41 million for a new building, the College will

seek to raise $15 million in private support, to be

matched by public funds, loans, and grants. An

additional $5 million will be raised to upgrade

existing facilities and furnish equipment for the

new advanced engineering research building.

Program InvestmentsOur goal is to offer educational programs that

are diverse, inclusive, and pioneering and to

prepare students for the demands of a global

economy. To achieve this we must promote

and grow programs in emerging fields and the

programs of tomorrow, while enhancing our

efforts in the fields of energy and materials

where we have existing strengths. Finding

ways to improve the clean utilization of energy

resources is vital to the economic growth of

our state and critical for the U.S. through

the latter part of this century. In order to

keep our programs engaging and relevant for

the next generation of students, we plan to

raise $35 million in private support for our

academic programs and to promote student

opportunities in design, research experiences,

and participation in national competitions.

The new Advanced Engineering Research Building.

In all the disciplines of engineering, we face strong and accelerating

international competition. Our students must learn more, learn

sooner, and learn faster. Undergraduate programs must become more

sophisticated, interdisciplinary, and problem-based. Graduate programs

must become more cutting-edge, more informed by research.

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s we pass our 125th year, the teaching of

engineering at WVU has never been

better, stronger, more global, or more engaged

with our state. And we have never been

more aware of the competition we face, the

challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and

the responsibilities we owe to our community.

With the extraordinary generosity of Ben and

Jo Statler, we are fueled and primed for great

grow the economy of our state and nation, and to

bring prestige to our institution.

Simply put, it can’t continue to happen and

continue to grow without you. A State of Minds:

The Campaign for West Virginia’s University is a

collaborative effort. Our minds and our vision

must be in sync, and we must call upon you to

help complete the funds and bolster the energy

that will take us to our goals. A century and

a quarter has taken us from steam power to

nanotechnology—what could be more exciting

and more rewarding than beginning the next 125

years together in our aspirations?

My thanks for your belief and generosity—it is

my honor and privilege to lead the Statler College

at this momentous time. In West Virginia and in

this school, tomorrow is already here.

Eugene V. Cilento, Ph.D.Glen H. Hiner Dean

aT The TiPPing PoinT

things, ready and able at the tipping point that

leads to a premier institution for engineering

and energy education and research, a place

sought out by scholars, students, and faculty

from around the globe for its quality and vision.

With your support and commitment building

upon the Statlers’ vision, we will continue to

create a college where more than 4,000 students

from diverse backgrounds will engage in an

exciting and cutting-edge learning environment

with renowned scholars in their respective

fields. To ensure the success of our students as

practitioners, we will offer educational programs

that are diverse, inclusive, pioneering, and

oftentimes multi-disciplinary. Our vision includes

a dedicated corps of distinguished endowed

professors who will engage and challenge our

students to achieve their ambitions, to improve

the state of humankind through their research, to

W E S T V I R G I N I A U N I V E R S I T Y West Virginia’s healthcare epicenter, its flagship of service, its brain trust.

Home to some of the most innovative and forward-thinking minds in the

country, WVU serves the world by first serving its state. We have emerged as

a leader in solving today’s most complex problems, and we are ready to share

our State of Minds with the world.

A State of Minds: The Campaign for West Virginia’s University is about

investing in the values, ambition, intellect, and mindset that define one of the

most exciting universities in the country. With support from alumni, friends,

foundations, and partners, West Virginia University will be in a position to

lead the national and global dialogue on energy, health, the environment, the

economy…and so much more.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution.

One Waterfront Place, 7th Floor | P.O. Box 1650 | Morgantown, WV 26507-1650 | 304-284-4000 or 800-847-3856 | www.astateofminds.com

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral ResourcesOffice of the Dean

Evansdale Drive | P.O. Box 6070 | Morgantown, WV 26506-6070 | 304-293-4157 | cemr.wvu.edu