West Virginia Universitys Board of Governors and the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI) on Friday (Nov. 7) announced approval of a 10-year agreement between the University and the Institute to continue the collaborative relationship they have had since October 2000 to pursue research of neurological diseases and memory disorders.

Interim WVU President C. Peter Magrath signed the memorandum of understanding, saying,WVU and the Institute will now be working aggressively to bring in additional leading scientists as well as federal, state and private funding as we continue to pursue cures for Alzheimers disease and other dementias.

This health research effort will not only have a tremendous impact on society as we develop new drugs and treatments that benefit patients, but also in the diversification of jobs and the states economy,Magrath added.Its our duty as a land-grant university to be a leader in the changing needs of the scientific workplace, and this is a great example of that.

Founded in 1999 by U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefellerand named for his mother who suffered from Alzheimers diseasethe Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute is the only research institute in the world dedicated to both an understanding of how human memory works and advancing new discoveries that that can identify, treat and repair damages from diseases and disorders that impact human memory. One of the Institutes critical missions is to foster private-sector partnerships with venture capital and pharmaceuticals, moving new drug discoveries more quickly to doctors and patients, and helping to foster new investments and jobs in West Virginia.

From the beginning of the Institute, it was clear that West Virginia University had to be our most important partner if BRNI was to be a success,Rockefeller said.I am gratified that President Magrath and the Board of Governors have agreed to extend this critical collaboration.

BRNI has already made some landmark discoveries, including a promising new diagnostic tool that can detect the presence of Alzheimers disease, and an existing class of drugs, Bryostatin, that BRNI scientists have discovered can actually repair a brain damaged by stoke or ravaged by Alzheimers,the senator added.These discoveries are paving the way for dramatic breakthroughs in treatment of diseases and disorders that affect human memory, and have opened the door to the kind of private-sector partnerships that will bring these breakthroughs quickly to patients and create new jobs and opportunities in West Virginia.

Interim Vice President for Health Sciences Fred Butcher also commented:This agreement represents a continuation of our commitment to a great partner. Our collaboration ensures that BRNI and WVU will be at the forefront in research and discovery on Alzheimers and other neurological problems.

BRNI raised $30 million from federal and state sources to construct a 78,000-square-foot research facility on the Health Sciences Center campus. The building was dedicated last month, and the Institute will begin operations there during the next several weeks. The agreement allows WVU to assume primary ownership of the building.

Also under the agreement, WVU s Board of Governors will appoint a portion of the voting members of BRNI s Board of Directors, and WVU agrees to invest $13.5 million in BRNI s programs during the next 10 years. The University will also be offered a negotiating position on the percentage of intellectual property that BRNI owns.

BRNI has been successful in raising more than $13 million from venture capital sources to fund some of early stage research, more than $16 million from Rockefeller family gifts and millions more from private donors and corporate sponsors of its annual fundraising activities. It has enjoyed the support of the governor and the West Virginia Legislature. Currently, the Institute is in the final stages of completing its first major intellectual property transfer agreement with a pharmaceutical company.

• WVU Tech sets enrollment goals; employees get raises

As required by law, the WVU Institute of Technology submitted on Oct. 31 its third progress report to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability (LOCEA) describing activities on the Montgomery campus.

During Fridays meeting, the Board approved Techs report, noting significant capital improvement progress and work in integrating financial and legal affairs, human resources, public safety, social justice, information technology, extended learning and other areas. Work remains, however, in areas such as financial aid, library services and enrollment along with capital improvements and salary plans.

As part of the report, Tech set a four-year goal of increasing headcount and full-time enrollment each year so that by the year 2012-13, the overall headcount would be in the 2,100 rangefrom a current enrollment of 1,044and the number of full-time students would increase from 1,002 to approximately 2,000 students.

WVU Tech Provost Scott Hurst said a new enrollment management director has been hired who will place a greater emphasis on recruiting outside the states borders, targeting outstanding students in the science, math and technology disciplines and enhancing dual credit high school courses, among other strategies. Retention efforts will also be renewed, he added, through improved advising and identifying at-risk students. Techs retention goal is 61 percent to match institutional peers.

The Board removed the interim title from Hursts position for a limited term, pending the successful outcome of many of the institutions goals.

The Board also approved a 3 percent raise, effective Nov. 1, for Tech faculty, nonclassified and classified staff. To meet the increase, WVU committed $100,000 in one-time funding.

*Real estate transferred to WVU at Parkersburg

With the passage of recent legislation allowing WVU at Parkersburg to become an independent state institution, the WVU BOG approved the transfer of all Wood County property and real estate to that institutions Board of Governors.

Presidential search moving forward

Chairwoman Carolyn Long said the presidential search panel, which she co-chairs, held its first meeting Oct. 21. All 15 voting members were present, and they were joined by ex-officio members Brian Noland, Higher Education Policy Commission chancellor (by phone), and Magrath.

The group signed a confidentiality/ethics agreement, went over social justice guidelines, reviewed the timeline for the search and finalized the position announcement for posting to the Web site and placement in national higher education markets this month, she noted. They meet again in mid-November.

Long said theword is outabout the presidency and there is alreadystrong interest being expressedin the position, and BOG member Charles Vest said he has confidence ina very good outcomefor the search.

In September, the BOG approved a search timeline and set an April 3 deadline to hire a replacement for Magrath.

WVU working to ensure access to higher education in tough economic times

In a presentation to the Board, Director of Financial Aid Kaye Widney said the current economic downtown has deepened concerns about higher education affordability among students and parents. She said there has been an increase in students taking out private loans to supplement federal/state financial aid packages and other grants and scholarships.

Trends that might be experienced if a downturn continues, she noted, are: students transferring to schools closer to home in order to commute to college; students attending a two-year community college before transferring to a four-year institution; students attending schools with lower tuitions; and more students facing difficulty in making student loan payments after graduation.

She warned that the situation may impact student choices and institutional budgets, but in the meantime, WVU continues to process and obtain federally insured student and parent loans without any disruption, and students have continued to have access to private, credit-based loans they use to supplement federal and state aid.

Widney also noted that WVU saw an increase of 11 percent in the number of students filing for financial aid from the previous academic year.

Barnette Board Room dedicated

Prior to the start of the meeting, the Barnette Board of Governors Room was dedicated in honor of Chairman Emeritus CurtisHankBarnette and his wife, Joanne, a native of Morgantown and WVU graduate.

Their generous gift was made to the Alumni Association building campaign to equip the conference space in the new Erickson Alumni Center as the permanent new home of the Board.

The BOG is responsible for the overall governance of WVU , and the members provide exceptional leadership and service to the University,Barnette said.It is therefore especially appropriate for the Board to have a permanent home at the Alumni Center, and Joanne and I are very pleased to help establish this Board Room.

Barnette completed in June two consecutive four-year terms on the WVU Board of Governors (2000-08). He served as the Boards chairman from 2002-04 and as chair of various committees, including the audit and executive committees.

His contributions and commitment to WVU over the years are numerous, Long said.

Besides his leadership and service on the WVU Board of Governors, Mr. Barnette is currently chairing the search for WVU s vice president for health sciences and has served continuously on the WVU Foundation Board of Directors since the early 1980s, chairing that governing group from 1991-93,she said.

We are deeply grateful to Hank and Joanne for all they have done to contribute to the success of their alma mater,Long added,and we thank them for their most recent gift of this beautiful Board room which will now be our permanent home.

Barnette is a 1956 WVU political science graduate, a member of Mountain honorary and Phi Beta Kappa, a former student body president and cadet colonel in the ROTC . He attended Manchester University in England on a Fulbright Scholarship.

He recently established the Barnette Professorship in Political Science held by Joe Hagan in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, a law school scholarship in honor of his wifes parents and an arts and sciences scholarship for students graduating from his former high school, St. Albans.

Barnette is a member of the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni and the WVU Business Hall of Fame, and he is being honored this weekend as Most Loyal Alumni Mountaineer.

His generosity and service extend to other universities and corporations, including chairing the Yale Law School Fund Board. He received his juris doctor degree from Yale Law School and attended the Harvard Business School, AMP .

During his 33-year career at Bethlehem Steel, he served in many capacities, including chairman and chief executive officer. He is currently practicing corporate and international law with the Washington, D.C., firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher and Flom, LLP .

In other news, the Board approved:

• a $3 million renovation of the Engineering Sciences Building basement-level HVAC system; expected completion August 2009

• WVU s combined financial statements

• real estate transactions, including leased properties and rights of way