“Because we moved around a lot during my childhood, I have always considered Wesleyan to be my one constant. This is home for me” – Paula McGrew ‘78

Paula McGrew, Wesleyan’s Reference Librarian and Assistant Professor of Library Science, is one of those rare people who have had an opportunity to share in the “Wesleyan Experience” her entire life. “I attended my first Wesleyan graduation at the age of six months, which was my father’s graduation,” she explains. “And as a pastor’s family, we came to the campus each year for the Annual Methodist Conference and I attended several Annual Youth Conferences on my own. My family also has connections to the College that span four generations.” (See sidebar below)

Being familiar with the campus, she decided to attend Wesleyan and earned her undergraduate degree in Library Science. She pursued her Masters of Library Science from Rosary College in River Forest, IL, and in the following 25 years, she served as a school librarian for both an elementary and high school in Virginia, as a public librarian for the Bridgeport Public Library, and as a Health Sciences librarian for the United Hospital Center in Clarksburg, WV. She recently completed her second Master’s Degree with a Master of Arts in Communication Studies, with an emphasis on Educational Communication from West Virginia University.

McGrew currently works in the Annie Merner Pfieffer Library where she monitors and maintains the reference section in addition to teaching information literacy to freshman seminar groups. This fall McGrew will be teaching a 4-hour Pilot Freshman Seminar course which will incorporate freshman orientation and Composition II. “We will be focusing on the concept of success as it relates to the college experience and for life after college,” she explains. “Our textbook is 10 Things That Employers Want You to Learn While You Are In College, by Bill Coplin.” Even with the new responsibility, McGrew will remain in charge of teaching information literacy to other freshmen through a web-based course she designed with two of her colleagues in what she calls a “Brick and Click” approach: “Many things are available online, but there are still some aspects which require coming to the building. We try to emphasize both.”

“My biggest challenge as a professor is teaching students to recognize their need for information,” she explains. “Often they are unaware of the great wealth of knowledge which they don’t know. Once they recognize the need, then I teach them how to access information effectively and efficiently, how to evaluate that information, how to use that information for a particular purpose and then how to understand the ethical, legal, and social uses of the information. If students receive a good foundation in these skills as freshmen, they are better prepared for all of their coursework. It gives them the tools they need to succeed in college and beyond.”

McGrew recently added the title of “virtual librarian” to her list of accomplishments by serving the Abundant Life Christian School in Choluteca, Honduras over the Internet, a connection she made through her church. “Librarianship is a very well-rounded profession,” she says. “It incorporates literature at all levels, teaching, choosing materials to fit the needs of the patrons, and the opportunity to help people find information relevant to their interests. I got into this job because I enjoy reading, but now I have taught preschoolers, medical employees and college students! There’s more to library science than most people realize, and it is very rewarding.”

Of the college setting, McGrew cites “exceptional coworkers with a wide range of skills, interests, and talents” as her favorite aspect. “The faculty and staff here at Wesleyan are intelligent and detail oriented but also very friendly,” she describes. “They really want to create a better and richer experience for the students. I have never worked with better colleagues.”

Overall, McGrew hopes to have a “ripple effect,” and she keeps a poster of this on her wall as a reminder. “When one small connection is made with a student, faculty or an alumnus, there are often ripples that travel far beyond Wesleyan,” she explains. “The student goes on to do great things. The faculty member receives support for his/her research and then discovers other things that go beyond what he/she thought were possible. One contact with an alumnus leads to a friendship or relationship founded upon a common love for the college. You never know what one small kindness can do. It just keeps rippling out.”

You can reach McGrew at mcgrew_p@wvwc.edu.

Getting Your Library Skills Up-to-date
The OrangeLine Online continues its series on assisting alumni with its educational initiative Greetings from the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library.

Lifelong Learning from Your Library: Online News

When you were a college student at Wesleyan, did you find it hard to keep up with current news, especially from your hometown? The Library Website has a section to help students stay informed – but is also quite a good resource for alumni!

Under the Library Home Page sections Find Articles and Electronic Resources you will locate Online News. This resource includes newspapers from West Virginia, U.S. newspapers by city, world newspapers by country, news magazines, broadcast news, and internet news. So no matter if you are from Clarksburg or from Tokyo you will be able to keep up with your local news as well as world news.

Julia Keehner Appointed VP for Student Affairs and Dean of Students

West Virginia Wesleyan College announces the appointment of Julia A. Keehner as Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. Bringing to Wesleyan more than 27 years of expertise in student services administration, Keehner most recently has been serving as vice president for enrollment and student services for Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa.

For the complete story, click here.

Wesleyan Named 'Best Southeastern College' by Princeton Review

The Princeton Review named West Virginia Wesleyan College a “Best Southeastern College” based on results from its 2005 survey. For the complete story, click here.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. To Speak at Boyd Lecture

Henry Louis Gates Jr., one of the United States’ leading cultural critics, will be the featured speaker for the 2005 W. Sproule and Anne Boyd Lecture on Society and Values on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College Thursday, October 6 at 8 p.m. The free lecture in Wesley Chapel is open to the public.

For more information, click here.

Seven New Faces Welcomed in Classrooms

West Virginia Wesleyan College would like to welcome seven new faculty members to its campus. New faculty members include:

Erin Bryan, ’03 Visiting Instructor in Communication. B.A., West Virginia Wesleyan College; M.A., University of Delaware. Ms. Bryan has been serving as an Instructor/Teaching Assistant at the University of Delaware while completing her Master program.

Mark Ernsting, Assistant Professor in Exercise Science. B.S., University of British Columbia; M.S., Midwestern State University. Mr. Ernsting has previously taught at Midwestern State University, Texas.

Luke Huggins, Assistant Professor of Biology. B.S., Albright College;
M.S., University of Delaware; Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Huggins has been teaching at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA.

Donald Levy, Assistant Professor of Sociology. B.A., Yale University; M.A., University of Connecticut. Mr. Levy has previously been a researcher and project manager for the Center for Population Research, University of Connecticut.

Pamela Miltenberger, ’95 Assistant Professor of Mathematics. B.S., West Virginia Wesleyan College; M.S., West Virginia University; Ph.D., University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Miltenberger has been teaching at Wilmington College in Ohio for the past three years.

Suzette Mouchaty, Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology. B.S., M.S., University of Alaska; Ph.D., Lund University, Lund, Sweden. Dr. Mouchaty has previously taught at the University of Houston-Downtown and was Director of the Scholars Academy, Division of Math, Science and Kinesiology, at San Jacinto College North, in Houston.

Drue Stapleton, Visiting Instructor in Exercise Science and Athletic Training. B.S., State University of New York at Cortland; M.Ed., Salisbury University. Mr. Stapleton has previously been an Assistant Athletic Trainer at the State University of New York, College at New Paltz. He also served as Approved Clinical Instructor for Marist College athletic training students.