WVU Research

As West Virginia's only land-grant university, its major research and development center, and its only comprehensive doctoral-granting institution, West Virginia University has been charged with the responsibility of maintaining a combined agenda of research, teaching and service. Research is part of a larger process in which discovery, application and use are closely integrated. West Virginia University has been recognized as a "Research University I" institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which places it among only 59 public and 29 private institutions nationwide, in recognition of the complexity, breadth, and contributions of their overall programs.

West Virginia University is planning the development of a research park on the Morgantown campus. The consulting firm of Hammer, Siler, George Associates was awarded a contract in the summer of 1999 to develop a strategic plan for development of the WVU research Park. This new research park is expected to break ground in 2006.

West Virginia University is a land grant institution, established in 1867 and is the largest college in the state with an enrollment of approximately 16,000 undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. WVU has 15 colleges and professional schools including the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and Economics, College of Humanities, Engineering School, Law School, and a Health Sciences Center comprising Dental, Nursing, Pharmacy and Medical Schools. West Virginia University is located in a picturesque setting in the hills of northern West Virginia, five miles from the Pennsylvania border.

West Virginia University competes in Division I athletics in the NCAA. Athletic facilities are available for intramural sports and recreational activities. Artistic and cultural events are presented by the excellent performing arts departments and by visiting groups. The modern Creative Arts Center provides a facility for presentations of the performing arts. Further shopping and cultural activities are provided by our proximity to major metropolitan centers. Pittsburgh is the nearest large city, about a 90-minute drive north on Interstate 79 and Washington, DC is a 4-hour drive to the east. Direct air service to both Pittsburgh and DC is provided from Hart Field in Morgantown.

The Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center complex consists of the Health Sciences Building (housing the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Dentistry). Ruby Memorial Hospital, the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, the Physicians Office Center, Chestnut Ridge Psychiatric Hospital and the Rehabilitation Clinic. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Appalachian Laboratory for Occupational Health and Safety (ALOSH) is located adjacent to the Health Sciences Center complex. A new $8M Rockefeller Neuroscience research facility has been approved for construction (approval in 12-99). This institute will result in hiring additional internationally recognized research faculty in Neuroscience and aging. The Neuroscience institute will be a close collaborative effort with John Hopkins University and WVU School of Medicine.