In Memory

Dr. Anne H. Nardi 

Dr. Anne H. Nardi, a former CEHS dean, passed away on Saturday, June 17, 2017. 

Nardi earned her BA in French from Trinity College (Washington, D.C.), in 1964, her MA in behavioral disabilities from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1966 and her PhD in life-span developmental psychology from West Virginia University in 1971.

She had a storied career at CEHS, including serving as chair of the Department of Educational Psychology from 1985 to 1996, as associate dean for academic affairs from 1997 to 2002, and as interim dean and dean of the College from 2002 to 2008.

In 2008, Nardi returned to the faculty as a professor of educational psychology until her retirement in 2014. She briefly came out of retirement in 2015 to serve as interim chair of the Department of Learning Sciences and Human Development.

Outside of CEHS, Nardi was the director of the Center for Guided Design, a fellow in the International Society for Exploring Alternatives to Teaching and Learning, and a member of the board of directors for the International Society for Exploring Teaching and Learning. She was also an active member of the West Virginia Teacher Education Advisory Committee.

Nardi’s commitment to West Virginia University was honored in 2016 when she was inducted into the Order of Vandalia, a recognition bestowed upon the most loyal servants of West Virginia University.

Dr. Patricia A. Obenauf

West Virginia University Professor Emerita Dr. Patricia A. Obenauf passed away peacefully surrounded by friends on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017.

Obenauf joined the CEHS faculty in 1973. She was a passionate and loyal educator serving the College and her students through her roles as professor, administrator, researcher, adviser and scholar for more than 40 years.

Obenauf attended Alverno College and Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis. She then began her professional career by teaching elementary and secondary math and science in schools in the Midwest and throughout the Mississippi Delta. After obtaining her PhD in science education and curriculum and instruction from the University of Virginia in 1973, she began her higher education career at WVU.

Obenauf retired as a professor emerita from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies. She chaired nearly 80 doctoral student committees and wrote several grants, including the West Virginia Department of Education Coordinated and Thematic Science grant for $1.2 million and the National Science Foundation NRAO Green Bank Radio Astronomy Research Experiences grant for $4 million.

In October 2016, Obenauf was inducted in the WVU CEHS Hall of Fame.