West Virginia Universitys research efforts are helping the state to meet the challenges of technological change and economic competitiveness at the dawn of the 21st century, President David C. Hardesty said today (Feb. 14) in his annual State of the University address at WVUs National Research Center for Coal and Energy.

“The research being done at WVU is forward-thinking and innovative, and much of it has the potential for commercial application that will improve the fortunes of our state and nation,”Hardesty said in delivering”WVU Research: Supporting the Economic Transformation of our State and the Nation.”

As the University has strengthened its efforts in academics, student life and service, the public has grown more appreciative of WVU as the states primary engine for research and technology transfer, he said.

The states economy is undergoing an often painful transition to technological change in business and industry, and WVU can help to meet the changing workforce needs, he added.

Hardesty listed several assets that make WVU uniquely able to meet todays challenges:

Productive partnerships with industry

National and international connections to other universities and organizations

Talented faculty members who come from around the world

A diverse student body

Multifaceted research programs.

Research efforts range, he noted, from hard science such as mapping genetic codes, to applied technology research such as using new plastics to construct bridge decks, to humanities research such as creating a computerized landscape of West Virginias literary history.

As West Virginias industrial basecoal, steel, glass, chemical and other industrieschanges, research universities are even more critical he noted.”The nation has placed great trust in its research universities and colleges to find new pathways to prosperity,”he said.

He noted that WVU is one of a handful of universities in the nation designated as a Research I institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching distinguishing it from all other schools in West Virginia.

The research program, including more than 30 specialized centers and institutes, continues to grow, he added. Last year, the $76 million brought into the University for sponsored projects was the second highest in WVU history. Associate Provost for Research and Economic Development John Weete leads the effort.

He cited many examples of important WVU research projects, including the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, which he predicted will be a world-class center for research on human memory and the largest scientific research venture in the history of West Virginia.

In recognition of WVUs Constructed Facilities Center work, led by Dr. Hota GangaRao, Hardesty noted that Sen. Robert C. Byrd is working with the Federal Highway Administration to secure funding to establish it as a Center of Excellence.

He also showed a video that highlighted several faculty members work as examples of the impact of WVU research, and noted that a complementary, high-end research publication will also be produced. Since its founding in 1867, WVU has been a”peoples university”that has responded to the changing needs of state citizens, Hardesty concluded, and that tradition continues today.

“The fact that as a research university, we are also public and a land-grant institution makes our work even more important,”he noted.”We are a national university, committed to serving the people of West Virginia. This helps give us focus and determinability.”

Hardesty said it is critically important for state and federal policymakers and for the people of West Virginia to”support, embrace and foster the close links we are forging between advanced research and training the next generation of scholars and researchers, on the one hand, and the quality of life of our citizens, on the other.”

For the full speech text, go towww.wvu.edu/~presoffc/sofu2000.htm