A new scholarship honoring the memory of lifetime Fairmont residents James V. and Ruth D. Pallotta will be available for Marion, Monongalia or Preston County students attending Fairmont State University.

The Pallotta family has contributed funds to establish an endowed scholarship for students who have a 3.0 grade point average with first preference for students majoring in nursing, engineering, business or education. Students must be full-time status to receive this award. The scholarship is renewable provided students maintain a 3.0 during their time at Fairmont State. 

The Pallotta Family Scholarship in Memory of James V. & Ruth Pallotta was established by the family’s children, J. Christopher Pallotta; Susan D. Pallotta; Mark D. Pallotta; and John Jay Pallotta.

“Words alone can’t express the enormity of my gratitude to this family,” President Mirta M. Martin said. “By honoring the memory of family through their generous giving, they will impact the lives of current and future Falcons. Support like this enables Fairmont State University to continue to provide an exceptional, affordable education to deserving, hard-working students.”

Chris Pallotta studied business administration and economics at Fairmont State and graduated in 1971. While at Fairmont State, he served on student government and the TBI Fraternity. Chris is a Bond Insurance Agency agent and an organizer/director of MVB Financial Corp. He said that he and his family have great pride in Fairmont State and want it to succeed and thrive. 

“It’s a major part of the Fairmont and Marion County Community,” he said. “We hope this scholarship makes a meaningful mark on some talented student and will help them excel in their selected field and make a difference in this community and great country.”
Chris’s wife, Bobo, and both of their children also attended Fairmont State. 

Chris said he uses the skills and education he received at Fairmont State every day and has a great passion for the university. He has served on the Fairmont State Athletic Association Board, raising money for athletic scholarships, for more than 30 years and has been a basketball season ticketholder since 1975. 

Chris said his family chose nursing, engineering, business and education departments to support because those professions make a major impact in our community health, economy, and student population.

Mark D. Pallotta, graduated from Fairmont State in 1976 with a degree in business administration. Mark is also employed at Bond Insurance Agency as an insurance agent. Mark served on the Fairmont State Board of Governors from 2008-2015 and as the board president in 2014-15. He has great passion for the university, its purpose and vision as evidenced by his commitment to serve for those eight years. Mark’s wife LuAnne also has a degree from Fairmont State in interior design.

Susan D. Pallotta, graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in dental hygiene in 1974. She practiced dental hygiene for several years before retiring to Lake Floyd in Harrison County. She now enjoys swimming, biking and hiking all over the world.
John Jay Pallotta, who graduated from business administration in 1981 and also works in insurance sales at Bond, said he wants to help support the next generation who are eager to better themselves and their communities through higher education.

“I hope this scholarship will allow us to fund the education and achievement of students who will likely give back to the institution,” he said. “I felt Fairmont State University provided me the academic resources to understand the business environment I would be placed into, and the school’s social atmosphere better enabled me when dealing with others.”

Chris, Mark, Susan and Jay said they hope this gift also serves as a way to attract more applicants from the Marion, Monongalia and Preston counties, boosting Fairmont State’s enrollment. 

Five new board members will take their seats on the Fairmont State Foundation Board of Directors, capping a milestone year that included finishing more than $700,000 over goal in The Every Gift Matters – Scholarship Campaign.

The Fairmont State Foundation serves as the non-profit organization that solicits and administers private donations on behalf of Fairmont State University. The 20-member Board of Directors, which governs the institution, embarked on a $1.3 million campaign for scholarships in July 2018. The new board members will be able to help celebrate achievement of that goal, having reached $2 million in new scholarships in less than one year.

“Our new Board members possess a diverse set of skills and relationships,” said Gary LeDonne, Fairmont State Foundation Board chair. “Their professional experience as entrepreneurs, financial professionals, and education will serve the Foundation Board well. I look forward to working with each of them to support Fairmont State University.”
New board members include Kim Del Greco, Michael Williams, Miller Hall, Kevin Wilfong, and Nicholas Oxley. 

Del Greco, a resident of Bridgeport, is the deputy assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Del Greco, who is a graduate of Kent State University, began working for the FBI more than 22 years ago and brought swift exposure to biometrics, specifically fingerprints and latent technology.

Williams, director of revenue accounting for PDC Energy, lives in Buckhannon. Williams has more than 20 years of accounting and auditing experience and is a 1989 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Fairmont State with a Bachelor’s in accounting.

Hall, who lives in Beckley, West Virginia, is the vice president of the West Virginia State Board of Education.  At Fairmont State, he was a member of the football and track teams and graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor’s in education. Hall also received two Master’s degrees from Marshall University and has spent many years as an educator and coach in Raleigh County.

Wilfong, a 1977 graduate of Fairmont State, earned a Bachelor’s degree in engineering technology. Wilfong resides in Fairmont and is the president and owner of Middletown Properties and Wilfong Enterprises.

Oxley, a Wealth Advisor for Buckingham Strategic Wealth, is a 2001 graduate of Fairmont State with a Bachelor’s in finance.  He also received his MBA from West Virginia University. Oxley lives in Charleston, where he is active with many non-profits. He is also an advisory board member for the Fairmont State University School of Business.

“We are very excited to be working with such an outstanding group of individuals who are dedicated to Fairmont State University’s success,” said Julie R. Cryser, president of the Fairmont State Foundation. “We have a great team that will work hard to ensure students, faculty, and staff have those added resources that create the margin of excellence in education.” 

The new board members and successful campaign cap a year of transition for the Fairmont State Foundation. The board hired Cryser in April. Cryser served in development roles at West Virginia University for nearly 19 years before coming to Fairmont. 
The board also hired Vicki Glasow as the new Development Director. Glasow, a 1978 graduate of Fairmont State, comes to the Foundation after three years as Director of Development and Corporate Relations at Alderson Broaddus University.