Mark R. Walbridge, formerly of George Mason University, was appointed chairman of the Department of Biology at West Virginia University. M. Duane Nellis, dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, said Walbridge was chosen following a national search.

Dr. Walbridge heads an academic unit that offers one of WVU s most popular undergraduate majors and has numerous faculty members and graduate students conducting research supported by state and federal funding agencies.

“We are pleased to have attracted an outstanding scholar, a proven administrator and a committed WVU alumnus to lead our biology department into the 21st century,”Nellis said.

Walbridge earned his B.A. and M.S. degrees from WVU , both in biology. He earned his Ph.D. in botany in 1986 from the University of North Carolina. He served as a post-doctoral research associate and as a visiting assistant professor at Duke University before going to GMU , where he directed the universitys Environmental Management Certificate program. He also serves as editor-in-chief of Urban Ecosystems, an international journal devoted to scientific investigations of the ecology of urban environments and their policy implications.

“Dr. Walbridge has been a highly successful faculty member at George Mason University,”said William L. MacDonald, WVU professor of plant and soil science and chair of the search committee.”He has many demonstrated skills in the teaching, research and service arenas. The search committee believes he will lead the department by example and by consensus building.”

Walbridge has published 30 research articles concerning urban ecosystems, forested wetlands, biogeochemistry and spatial processes. In addition to his editorship, he will bring to WVU a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation worth $828,260 for a project titled,”Phosphorus Transformations in Forested Floodplains.”

While at GMU , he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in contemporary biology, ecology, biogeochemistry and global change. He revised a general ecology laboratory course for which he developed five new labs, introduced the use of microcomputer spreadsheet programs for data analysis and made the course compatible with the universitysWriting Across the Curriculumprogram requirements. (more)

Walbridge cited WVU s commitment to excellence, a nationally-recognized biology faculty and the significant investment made by WVU and the Eberly College in biology facilities as reasons for his return to Morgantown. The Department of Biology, along with the Department of Psychology, will move into the Life Sciences Building, a $47 million 190,000 square-foot facility currently under construction.

“It would be difficult to imagine a more favorable situation in which to begin a term as chair of a biology department,”Walbridge said.

He added that directing the faculty in a diverse, quickly changing discipline as his most difficult and important task as the new chair. Biology spans the full range of spatial scales, from the molecular level to the global level.

“One of my primary goals as chair of the biology will be to foster a sense of faculty unity within the department. When biology moves into the new Life Sciences Building next year, it will mark the beginning of a new era of visibility for the department. This visibility provides certain opportunities, but also carries certain responsibilities,”Walbridge said.

As chair, his responsibilities include: coordinating academic programs; managing the departments budget; guiding strategic planning initiatives; fostering faculty, staff, and student development; overseeing faculty and staff recruitment and evaluation; and overseeing the transition to the new Life Sciences Building.

“Mark Walbridge brings an impressive background in research and administration to bear on his new position as chair of biology. He was selected because he has the insight and vision to lead this department effectively as we transition to thecentury of biologyin a brand new Life Sciences Building at West Virginia University,”said James B. McGraw, the Eberly Family Professor of Biology, who served as interim chair of the department for one year after the former chair, Keith Garbutt, became director of the WVU Honors Program.