Representatives from industry and state government came together today (Sept. 11) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of mining extension at West Virginia University.

The event, held at WVU’s Academy for Mine Training and Energy Technologies in Core, showcased the history of the program, which began in 1913 through summer short courses for superintendents, foremen and fire bosses. As part of the event, attendees could also tour the simulated mine; the self-contained, self-rescuer expectations trailers; and view the newly unveiled donor wall that recognizes contributors to the program.

“Five years ago, many of us stood in this very spot as we dedicated our state-of-the-art, simulated underground coal mine, which is the centerpiece for our training,” said Gene Cilento, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. “It could not have been built without the financial and in-kind support from a number of industry representatives, many of whom are with us today, and the state of West Virginia.

“At that moment in time, we could not have realized how much mining extension would grow,” Cilento added. “The outstanding team of faculty and staff work tirelessly in their efforts to provide extension courses, workshops, conferences, conduct applied research and more. Their efforts have resulted in a better trained workforce and safety advancements for everyone involved in the coal mining industry.” In 2013, training was provided to more than 7,400 individuals from 11 different states.

WVU President Gordon Gee said service to the state, nation and world is part of everything at West Virginia University – inseparable from research and teaching missions. Mining extension, in particular, has been a large part of the outreach mission.

Click below to hear the WVUToday radio spot about the centennial.

Coal mining is still a part of the American fabric, Gee said. It is a livelihood and an economic engine for the state, but there are hazards associated with the field, which is why mining extension exists. The unit has provided expertise in mine safety for a century, saving lives and training miners to perform the safest job possible, he said.

Advances in the past century have made today’s mining industry nearly unrecognizable as the same one a hundred years ago. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw this dangerous, unregulated industry take thousands of miners’ lives and injure many others throughout the United States. According to Jim Dean, director of mining and industrial extension, as years passed, legal reform, improved safety and effective training transformed the industry.

“The department has changed significantly over the last 100 years in its methods, organization, clients, metrics and funding, but has remained true to its tenant of providing useful and practical information,” Dean said.

From training programs developed after the 1977 amendments to the Mine Act, the Mine Emergency Preparedness Program and the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, to the creation of its simulated mine, and through educating thousands of miners and those working in general industry, Dean said the department has had a significant impact on the history of the industry.

“These accomplishments were based on the efforts of individual instructors and classified staff from the department working in collaboration with other educators, government and labor and industry representatives to provide useful and practical information to serve our constituents,” Dean said.

“We have the best coal miners in the world right here in West Virginia,” said William B. Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “They are the best trained, most competent, professional, drug free industrial workers of anywhere in this world. WVU’s mining extension service has been a big part of getting us there and keeping us there.”

Representatives from the offices of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Senator Joe Manchin and Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, as well as West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, also offered congratulatory remarks to the department.

-WVU-

mcd/09/11/14

CONTACT: Mary C. Dillon, Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
304.293.4086, Mary.Dillon@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.