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Ben Statler named WVU Foundation board member: Four others also join(The Dominion Post in Morgantown (WV)(KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 24--Benjamin M. Statler, a retired coal executive who donated $25 million to WVU last fall, has been named to the WVU Foundation's board of directors. Statler, one of five WVU alumni who recently joined the board, earned his bachelor's degree in mining engineering from WVU in 1973. Statler joins 33 others who serve on the board of directors. The board governs the WVU Foundation -- a private, nonprofit corporation that generates, receives and administers private gifts for the benefit of WVU. University spokesman Bill Nevin said the Foundation's bylaws limit the board to 39 members, but there is no minimum for membership. Members do not have to be WVU alumni, he said. Each member serves a threeyear term. Members may be reappointed for up to four terms, for a total of 15 years, but they cannot serve beyond the age of 75. Statler began his career with Consolidation Coal in 1969, retiring as senior vice president of mining for CONSOL Energy in 1999. He then formed his own mining consulting company. In 2003, Benjamin M. Statler LLC and Questor Management Co. LLC acquired the assets of U.S. Steel Mining and founded PinnOak Resources LLC. Statler sold the company in July 2007. Last October, Statler and his wife, Jo, announced a $25 million commitment to WVU, topping a $20 million contribution from Milan Puskar in 2003 -- previously the single largest donation to WVU. Puskar is chairman and co-founder of Mylan Inc., a pharmaceuticals firm with operations in Morgantown. About $5 million of the Statlers' pledge was earmarked for breast cancer research and health care. Officials said the remaining $20 million would fund more medical programs at WVU, provide money for the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, and pay for a new scoreboard at the WVU Coliseum. Statler was named to the board at an annual meeting held Aug. 16. Others named to the board include: n Irene C. Berger, a circuit court judge in Kanawha County since 1994. n Patrice A. Harris, medical director of the Fulton County Department of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases in Atlanta. n Pamela Maphis Larrick, a strategic consultant with Interpublic Group, a global provider of advertising and marketing services based in New York City. n Fred T. Tattersall, retired CEO of Tattersall Advisory Group and current chairman of 1607 Capital Partners LLC, an investment management company located in Richmond, Va. Dan R. Moore, of Charleston, was elected board chairman. He is owner of Moore Auto Group, and has been a member of the WVU Foundation Board of Directors since 1996. Other officers appointed to oneyear terms were Verl O. Purdy, vice chair; Janet Griffith Rogers, secretary; and Ralph J. Bean Jr., assistant secretary. Directors re-elected to three-year terms include Moore, Rogers, John C.Harmon, Marshall S. Miller, and E.G. "Ken" Kendrick Jr. Fundraising award The Foundation was one of 30 development programs nationwide that was recently honored for its fundraising efforts by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, receiving an overall improvement award as part of the 2008 CASEWealthEngine Awards for Educational Fundraising. The award is a component of CASE's annual Circle of Excellence program, honoring exemplary advancement initiatives and activities. "We're very honored to receive this prestigious award," said R. Wayne King, WVU Foundation president and chief executive officer. "It validates the hard work and efforts of our Foundation team and also recognizes the generosity of our many donors." The award is based on an analysis of three years of fundraising data supplied by each program to the Council for Aid to Education's Voluntary Support of Education survey. In fiscal year 2006-'07, the WVU Foundation received a record $87 million in donations and gifts-inkind, compared to $61 million in 2005-'06 and $42 million in 2004-'05. "Alumni and friends of WVU understand the importance of private giving, and this award is a reflection of that," said D. Lyn Dotson, WVU Foundation vice president of development. "It also is a reflection of their trust in the Foundation to administer and manage gifts on behalf of the university." In its award notification letter to the Foundation, CASE officials wrote, "Because your fundraising program was judged by a panel of your peers, this award is not only a recognition of its high value to your institution, but also an acknowledgement of its stature as a best practice that contributes to the advancement professional overall." To see more of The Dominion Post or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dominionpost.com/. Copyright (c) 2008, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va. 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