A steady drizzle didn’t dampen the spirits of the faculty, staff, students and friends of West Virginia University who gathered for A Greenhouse Celebration Thursday (Sept. 15) on the University’s Evansdale Campus. As WVU President Jim Clements put it, “Any day we can celebrate a new building, it’s a good day.”

Jim “Apples” McClelland, a longtime supporter of WVU’s horticulture program from Washington, Pa., turned “a good day” into “a great day” when he made another generous financial commitment to the project. Specific details of McClelland’s latest contribution are still being finalized.

McClelland was among those honored for providing private financial support to the greenhouse project. Also recognized were John and Joyce Allen of the Coalton, W.Va., area. The Allens, dedicated supporters of WVU, received the WVU Foundation Outstanding Philanthropy award in 2010.

“Today we are celebrating a facility that truly embodies the WVU land-grant tradition – rooted in our most fundamental mission with all of the technological advancement the 21st century demands,” Clements said.

“The new greenhouse and laboratories will help fulfill several goals of the WVU Strategic Plan,” he added. “It will help us provide students with a top-notch education, it will foster innovation in research, and it will promote agricultural discoveries that improve life in West Virginia.”

Rudolph Almasy, interim dean of the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, spoke of the project’s combination of University support, private donation and partnership with the USDA Forest Service, who will share laboratory space in the finished greenhouse. The Forest Service was represented at the event by Jan Wiedenbeck and Cynthia Huebner of the agency’s Northern Research Station.

“As we approach the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act which established land-grant universities like WVU, what goes on in this new greenhouse, certainly at the center of the agricultural sciences, encourages all of us here to rededicate ourselves to the promise of the Morrill Act; that is, to move education beyond the elite and have it serve in a practical and effective way the needs of the people who help pay for it,” Almasy said.

Barton Baker, director of the Division of Plant and Soil Sciences in the Davis College, stressed that the facility would be “a greenhouse for all of West Virginia University,” providing space for ongoing, interdisciplinary units and educational opportunities for students in a wide range of academic disciplines.

Renee Conneway, a horticulture graduate student, eloquently described the new facility’s impact for WVU’s students.

“I think no matter how you look at it, the new greenhouse facility gives us all one thing – room to grow,” said Conneway, of Augusta, W.Va. “Room to grow more plants, more research, room to grow our Horticulture program and Plant and Soil Sciences department, and last but not least, room to grow our minds. The restrictions of the past are behind us, and today, we start a new chapter of learning at West Virginia University.”

“For the undergraduate, the new facility will expand the opportunities for learning,” Conneway added. “Students will gain real-world experience as they assist in the day-to-day management of a modern-day greenhouse, one built in this era, an era of revitalization and improvement for the Evansdale campus. This will undoubtedly better prepare students for the job industry, and will help to grow the department and program for future students who will be more likely to seek WVU as a place to call home.”

During her undergraduate years as a WVU horticulture student, Conneway was one of the students supported by a scholarship created by McClelland. She also earned a scholarship from WVU’s Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. Upon graduating last year, she was one of 42 exemplary students to receive the WVU Foundation Outstanding Senior Award.

The previous greenhouse was constructed in the early 1960s and had not been renovated since. The facilities and systems were beyond their lifespan and did not meet the current or future needs of WVU’s research and academic programs. This project is a collaboration between the Davis College and the USDA Forest Service.

The existing glass greenhouse structures have been demolished, but the plastic greenhouses will remain. In preparation for the new facilities, the site’s infrastructure will be upgraded.

The new facility, designed by Paradigm Architecture of Morgantown and Birmingham, Ala., and to be constructed by March-Westin Co. of Morgantown, will have 28,250 square feet of space. The project is being overseen by John Sommers of WVU Facilities Management.

The head house, approximately 9,250 square feet, will include 5,950 square feet for wet and dry lab spaces, two academic classrooms, an office, and support spaces. The new glass greenhouse structures will have approximately 19,000 square feet to be shared by the Davis College and the Forest Service.

Gifts supporting the project were made through the WVU Foundation, the private, non-profit corporation that generates, receives and administers private gifts for the benefit of WVU.

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CONTACT: David Welsh, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
304.293.2394, dwelsh@wvu.edu

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