Skip to main content

More than $1M gift from WVU Eberly College professor establishes community lectureship

|

The Department of Political Science thanks our own Professor Emeritus Robert DiClerico for his generous gift to establish an engaging lecture series for many students and faculty to come. We look forward to the thoughtful discussions these lectures will evoke. 

Professor Emeritus Robert DiClerico donates more than one million dollars to the University establishing educational opportunity.

A beloved  West Virginia University professor is expanding educational opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the greater Morgantown community via a planned gift of over $1 million to support a lecture focused on political leadership and democratic institutions.

Professor Emeritus  Robert E. DiClerico retired from the  Department of Political Science at the  WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences in 2017. During his 45-year tenure at the University, he taught more than 34,000 students and was the recipient of 14 teaching awards.

DiClerico’s planned gift will be used to bring a distinguished speaker to campus annually for a community-wide lecture that addresses an issue related to the functioning of the nation’s democratic political order.

DiClerico noted the topic of the lectureship is timely. He cited a recent survey, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, which found that only 10% of the American people believe the U.S. democracy is working well.

“It’s no secret that our own democracy is seen to be in a rather precarious state at the moment and that view is shared by a good many scholars around the country,” DiClerico said. “The stipend generated from my gift will bring to the campus individuals who have thought seriously about the interface of political leadership and our institutions and are thus entitled to be listened to. What they have to say will hopefully generate further discussion and reflection within WVU and the Morgantown community.”

DiClerico’s research on the U.S. presidency and presidential elections made him one of the nation’s leading experts on the subject during his time at WVU.

He joined the faculty in 1972, after earning his bachelor’s degree at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and his doctorate at Indiana University as an Earhart Fellow. He was drawn to WVU for its “welcoming, friendly atmosphere” as well as its proximity to Washington and his family in New England.

During his tenure, DiClerico served as director of undergraduate studies for the WVU Eberly College Department of Political Science. He was also the University’s representative for the Rhodes and Truman Scholarship foundations for 30 years, during which he guided seven Rhodes Scholars and 24 Truman Scholars through the process.

DiClerico said he is grateful he enjoyed a long and fulfilling career at WVU.

“West Virginia University did an awful lot for me,” DiClerico said. “It provided me with the opportunity to teach a subject matter that excited me enough that I wanted to spend the rest of my career thinking, writing and conveying my enthusiasm about that subject matter to others. Moreover, I developed deep and lasting friendships with people at the University and in the town that I will value for the rest of my life.”

Last year, DiClerico was  inducted into the Order of Vandalia, the highest WVU service honor, in recognition of his loyalty and contributions to the University.

Now living in New London, New Hampshire, DiClerico continues to teach a seminar for retired adults each year. He also chairs a community group that meets monthly to discuss current issues.

DiClerico previously made a planned gift to support a scholarship established in his honor in 2003. The Robert E. DiClerico Scholarship in Democratic Institutions and Public Leadership goes to a junior or senior majoring in political science who is expected to have an impact on government institutions and leadership after graduating from WVU.

His latest gift was made through the  WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University.

-WVU-

cr/01/17/24

MEDIA CONTACT: Cassie Rice
Senior Communications Specialist
WVU Foundation
304-554-0217;   crice@wvuf.org

Call 1-855-WVU-NEWS for the latest West Virginia University news and information from   WVUToday.

See Article in WVUToday