U.S. Ambassador Constance Morella wont be alone Monday night when she opens West Virginia UniversitysFestival of Ideaslecture series with a talk about the legacy of the Marshall Plan.

Shell be accompanied by a traveling exhibit that tells the history of the plan that rebuilt Europe at the end of World War II.

The Marshall Plan: Vision of a Family of Nationsopens Monday night in the Mountainlairs Mountaineer Room to coincide with Ambassador Morellas 7:30 p.m. talk.

After that, the exhibit will move to the Mountainlairs Student Gallery, where it will remain through Saturday, Feb. 26. The exhibit is on loan from the U.S. Department of States Diplomacy Center and is currently touring colleges and universities across the country.

The exhibit, WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr., said, is a testament to the global vision of the Marshall Plans namesake, George C. Marshall (1880-1959), an Army general and statesman who rose from working-class roots in nearby Uniontown, Pa., to become an architect of lasting postwar peace on a continent ruined by conflict.

The genius and effectiveness of the Marshall Plan, Hardesty explained, comes in the commonsense approach taken by its authorwho, as a military man, learned well from the lessons of World War I a generation before.Marshall viewed correctly, I think, the frailties of the Allied-imposed peace treaties of World War I,Hardesty said.What I think the Marshall Plan did was recognize that were an interdependent world, and that when national infrastructures are destroyed, they must be rebuilt if that nation is to restore its ability to participate in the global economy.

The spirit of the plan, he added, is just as relevant as ever in todays 21 st century world, which is wracked by wars and political uncertainty in the Middle East and other spots on the globe.

Dr. Jerry Pops, a WVU public administration professor, agreedand said he hopes todays leaders can take their cues from both the plan, and the man who drafted it.

Behind Marshalls softspoken manner and droll sense of humor, Pops said, was a laser beam-like intensity to complete the task, and to do it with integrity.

That integrity, coupled with an unfailing honesty, Pops said, made Marshall effective, whether he was wearing a full-dress military uniform or business suit.

Hishumanqualities made him a great administrator,said Pops, who is presently writing a book about Marshalls life and times.

No one he ever dealt with could recall being misled by him,Pops said.Hes really a hero, and people normally dont have heroes in public administration.