Applications increase following Orange Bowl win

West Virginia University application rates have increased 30 percent since the Orange Bowl Jan. 4.

The success and exposure WVU gained on a national scale at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla., against

Clemson University has

positively impacted recruitment, said WVU President James P. Clements at a faculty senate meeting held Monday.

"The game was a great opportunity to recruit," Clements said.

Clements said the University has seen a 35 percent increase of hits to the main WVU webpage, and it is still trending in the top 12 on the social media site Twitter.

WVU Provost Michele Wheatly said the University had also seen a 30 percent increase in applications by the end of last week.

"We have so many good things that happen here. It's unfortunate that it takes a football game to get national attention, but we are thankful for the opportunity to use things like that to our advantage," Clements said.

In addition to the Bowl success, Clements said the University received a gift of a grand piano for the Creative Arts Center.

"Seventy percent of pianos in the CAC are 30 years old," Clements said.

He said the University needs to do the best it can to incorporate innovation and keep the highest level of technology possible, and is promoting raising $4

million for the purchase of new pianos for the College of Creative Arts.

Wheatly said the Davis College of Agriculture,

Natural Resources and

Design is making progress in its search for a new dean.

The search will replace former dean Cameron Hackney, who served as dean of the Davis College starting in 2000.

"We are in active negotiations with a candidate and we hope to have an agreement by the end of the week," Wheatly said.

Clements said the search for a Vice President for Research for the University will continue.

The position is responsible for cultivating the quantity and quality of WVU's research portfolio.

"We have not found the right person yet. We will keep looking," he said.

Clements said he hopes to renew the search committee and place an interim in the position while the search continues.

Clements also said he will issue an announcement on Thursday regarding

academics at the University.

"It will be a special day for the University," he said.