West Virginia University Student Affairs officials will present an outstanding achievement award and induct three individuals into its Hall of Fame at the annual Student Affairs Awards Ceremony Thursday, Oct. 18.
Vice President Ken Gray said the ceremony allows WVU to recognize professionals who have provided excellent service to the students of WVU , while a new award honors special achievement by an individual.
WVU will honor Susan Brown Hardesty, national chairperson of the Mountaineer Parents Club, with the inaugural Student Affairs Outstanding Achievement Award for her life-long service to WVU .
“This special award allows us to recognize the contributions of those outside our office who provide exceptional support and fine examples to WVU students. It is fitting that Susan Hardesty, who works so tirelessly on behalf of our students and their families, should be the first recipient of this award,”Gray said.
A 1967 WVU graduate with a degree in music education, Hardesty is involved in a variety of community service projects and volunteer work, including establishing a Read Aloud West Virginia program in Jackson County and helping to organize the first Keynote Concert featuring the WVU Marching Band in Charleston.
In addition, she serves on the College of Creative Arts Board of Visitors and is the current chairperson of the Council of Presidentsand ChancellorsSpouses for the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges.
As chair of the Parents Clubwhich she and her husband, WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. founded in 1995she oversees an organization that has grown to more than 8,500 families and 63 local clubs nationwide. Club initiatives include a toll-free Parent Helpline (800-WVU-0096), $1,000 scholarships for state high school student body presidents attending WVU , a newsletter for parents and a leisure reading library, among others.
In addition to this new award, three former WVU employees will be inducted into the 2001 Student Affairs Hall of Fame: Barbara R. Alvis, Mary-Jane Schuster English and Dr. Edwin J. Morgan.
During her 16 years as WVU Assistant Dean of Student Life for International Students, Barbara R. Alvis initiated and implemented the International Dinner and International Week, which continue to be prominent WVU events.
She also served in leadership capacities for the National Association for Foreign Students and Scholars as a Region IX Representative for the Council on Advisors for Foreign Students and Scholars (CAFSS) and co-chairperson of the 1986 Region IX CAFSS Conference. In 1990, Alvis was recognized by the National Association for Foreign Student Affairs with the Region IX Outstanding Service Exemplary Leadership Award.
Alvis received her bachelors degree in English education and a masters degree in speech at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She and her husband of 53 years, Dr. Vance Alvis, Professor Emeritus in the WVU Department of Economics, reside in Morgantown.
Mary-Jane Schuster English served as an assistant to the WVU Dean of Student Affairs and was a Residence Hall Associate from 1963-1980. She worked with former Dean Betty Boyd who is a charter member of the Student Affairs Hall of Fame.
English graduated from WVU with an A.B. in French in 1936. During her years as a WVU employee, she devoted much of her career to working in the residence hall program insuring that the residence hall staff and students had a quality on-campus living environment. Her professionalism and attention to students was highly regarded throughout her tenure and beyond.
“Mary-Janes contributions rest in the successful students she has mentored. Many of them now have successful careers in law, public service, education and business,”said WVU Associate Dean of Student Life Tom Sloane.
She and her husband Clyde, a professor emeritus in music, reside in Morgantown.
Edwin J. Morgan, MD, retired over the summer after serving as director of the University Health Services (UHS) since 1973. During his tenure, Dr. Morgan implemented programs in mental health/psychiatry, health education, family planning, physical therapy referral and supervised primary care rotations for the WVU School of Medicine. His vision extended the health education program to include alcohol and drug education and referral, sexual assault prevention, sexual awareness and AIDS prevention and medical triage.
Dr. Morgan earned his B.S. in chemistry in 1960 and M.D. in 1964, both at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at WVU .
He also is a professor in the WVU School of Medicine. His academic honors include serving as a visiting professor at the University of Zimbabwe in 1983 and the Universitt Mainz in Germany in 1986. His numerous publications focus on thoracic illnesses and treatment protocols.
Dr. Morgan and his wife Naomi live in Morgantown.