MORGANTOWN — The WVU Department of Forensic and Investigative Science had an open house Wednesday evening to celebrate their first 20 years.
Many local faculty and students gathered at the WVU Crime Scene Complex on the Evansdale Campus to listen to speakers address the crowd.
Suzanne Bell, the Department Chair for the Forensic and Investigative Science program, discussed how proud she was of the students and the program.
“We’ve been going for 20 years strong now. So we wanted to celebrate that milestone. We brought in people to thank in particular from the university and the college who’ve been such good supporters of us. We brought in a lot of people who’ve hosted our students for interns, internships, past and present faculty and staff, graduate students and people who’ve been integral in the development of the program.
Provost Joyce McConnell gave remarks about the enthusiasm and success of the forensics program.
Following McConnell, President E. Gordon Gee made his usual jokes and banter with the crowd. He discussed the success of the program and his passion for the department.
When asked about the changes in size of the program over the years, Bell said, “The first graduating class was four, and now we vary from 30 to 40, and now we’re projecting 70 to 80 and more every year … It is exciting. We’re very successful in placing them, getting jobs, and we’ve built a really good reputation in the community so now people call me when they have positions, which is great. It’s wonderful.”
Participants and listeners at the event were invited to refreshments and tours of the crime scene houses.
