Meighen, Sapp Receive Faculty Recognition Awards

Fairmont State recently honored Dr. Mary Meighen and Dr. G.H. "Budd" Sapp, with this year's Faculty Recognition Awards.

The awards were presented during a reception Thursday, March 24, in the Ruth Ann Musick Library. The Faculty Development Committee selects outstanding faculty members each year to receive the Faculty Recognition Awards. The winners are selected because of their clear commitment to continuing development in their fields and service to their community.

"As educators we are dedicated to making sure our students learn and grow," said Dr. Daniel J. Bradley, FSU President.

"At the same time, we are constantly searching for ways to continue our own learning and growth 'as individuals, as scholars and as teachers. Drs. Meighen and Sapp have excelled, not only at teaching their students, but also at pursuing their own personal learning and growth. They have demonstrated a dedication to the campus through their outstanding service. They have shown leadership in their profession and the community."

Dr. Mary Meighen

Dr. Mary Meighen originally jointed the Fairmont State faculty in 1971. She taught for two years and left full-time teaching to raise three children. She returned to FS in 1983 as an assistant professor of nursing.

In 1968, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in nursing from West Virginia Wesleyan College. In 1979, she completed a Master of Science degree in child development, in 1986 a master's degree in nursing and in 1991 a doctorate in education, all from West Virginia University. In 1998, she joined the B.S.N. faculty and is now coordinator of the B.S.N. program.

In addition to teaching, Meighen has been a certified family nurse practitioner, practicing until 2003 with the practitioners at Middletown Health Care, a group of independent nurse practitioners in a local practice. Currently she works with the Parish nurse at Central United Methodist Church.

In 2004, the FSU School of Nursing and Allied Health Administration began a collaborative master of nursing degree with Marshall University. As part of this collaboration, Meighen functions as the FSU facilitator.

Within the university/college community, Meighen has worked on many campuswide committees. She is active in curriculum development and revision for the nursing program, helps with the annual pinning ceremony and is currently developing a local chapter of a nursing honorary association.

As a mentor for her students, she has encouraged the development of the professional role through innovative clinical experiences and student attendance of Nursing Unity Day at the W.Va. Legislature. In 2001, she was active in the development of school nurse certification as an additional option for the B.S.N. graduates or returning graduates. FS is one of four nursing programs in the state that offer this specialized certification.

In the community, Meighen has been active in the United Way of Marion and Harrison counties and has served as nurse in residence for area swim teams and for after school programs.

She is married to the Rev. D.D. Meighen, minister at Central United Methodist Church in Fairmont. They have three children and two grandchildren.

Dr. G.H. "Budd" Sapp

Dr. G.H. "Budd" Sapp joined the FS faculty in 1997 as a Public School Teaching Fellow in the School of Education. He was hired as an assistant professor in 1998 and is currently a tenured associate professor in the FSU School of Education.

He has taught human growth and development and educational psychology at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He was one of the first School of Education faculty members to design and teach online undergraduate and graduate courses via WebCT, an online course management system. Sapp teaches secondary organization and practices and supervises student teachers in the public schools. He was instrumental in writing the revised professional education curriculum with its new clinical experience format and was actively involved in the successful continuing accreditation of the School of Education by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). He was recently notified that he has been nominated for training for the NCATE Board of Examiners by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Board of Directors.

Sapp earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from FS in 1980. His teaching specialization areas included biology and physical education. He completed a Master of Science degree in physical education in 1983 and a Doctor of Education degree in curriculum and instruction in 1994, both at West Virginia University. Sapp taught at Fairmont Catholic School from 1980-1981 and at North Marion High School from 1981-1997.

He has been recognized for his excellence as a distinguished educator. He was the 1995 RESA VII Exemplary Teacher of the Year and was named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers in 1996. He was named the FS Foundation Teaching Fellow in 2003 and selected for the 2004 Teaching Professor Conference Award by the FS Center for Teaching Excellence.

Sapp serves as president of the W.Va. Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (WVACTE) and chair of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). He is involved with Phi Delta Kappa, the professional association in education. He has collaborated with the state PTA and other organizations to plan statewide conferences.

He has given more than 20 presentations at local, state, national and international conferences. He facilitated a Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant and was involved in the U.S. Department of Education Grant: Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology.

A lifelong resident of Marion County, Sapp is a member of the FS Lettermen's Board of Directors, president of the FS Alumni Association and chair of the Faculty Senate Athletic Committee. He serves as director of Leadership Marion, a program that is sponsored by FS and the Marion County Chamber of Commerce. He was recently elected to the Marion County Board of Education. He is the Salvation Army board chairman and is on the board of both the Fairmont Kiwanis and United Way Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

Sapp is married to the former Robin Dalton, a radiologic technologist at Fairmont General Hospital. He has two daughters, Brigitte and Brooklyn.