The Flying WV will be visible around the nation’s capital in the coming weeks as alumni, students and friends make their way to Washington, D.C., to participate in the WVU Alumni Association’s annual Alumni Luncheon on Capitol Hill and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The two events will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Morrill Act and the role land-grant universities, such as WVU, have played in educating students.

On Thursday, June 28, WVU President Jim Clements will address a sold-out crowd, including members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation, alumni and friends of the University at the Washington Court Hotel beginning at noon.

“With WVU in the nation’s capital this week—on the National Mall with our Steel Drum Band at the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival—people from all over the world will not only see, but also hear our commitment to global outreach, to our land-grant mission, and to the vital role of arts in education,” he said.

For nearly 35 years, the Alumni Association’s National Capital Area Chapter has hosted the Alumni Luncheon on Capitol Hill honoring West Virginia’s congressional delegation – Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, Sen. Joseph Manchin III, Reps. Nick J. Rahall II, Shelley Moore Capito and David McKinley – as well as alumni and friends of WVU.

Proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the John F. Nicholas Jr. National Capital Area Chapter Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to students in the D.C.-Metro area attending WVU. To date, the NCAC has raised more than $150,000 for scholarships, making it the second largest scholarship fund provided by an alumni chapter.

This year’s event sponsors include: Alpha Natural Resources, The Arnold Agency, Chesapeake Energy, Clark Construction and Hamilton Insurance, as well as 17 WVU colleges and units.

The luncheon will be held at the Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. A short reception, sponsored by Chesapeake Energy, will begin at 11 a.m. prior to the luncheon. For more information, visit: http://alumni.wvu.edu.

The WVU Steel Drum Band will also be participating in the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival. This year’s festival features “Campus and Community.” The Steel Drum Band will perform on the National Mall June 27 and June 30 at 2 p.m.; June 28, July 1 and 6 at 3 p.m.; June 29 at 11 a.m.; July 4 at noon; and July 5 and 7 at 1 p.m.

-WVU-

tec/06/25/12

CONTACT: Tara Curtis, WVU Alumni Association
304.293.0972, tecurtis@mail.wvu.edu

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