Biography
Sam Colvin received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from WVU. He has taken postgraduate courses at Marshall.
Sam has worked on environmental issues since the first Earth Day in 1970. He was appointed as the first WV Youth Adviser to the newly-formed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As a student, he worked on a federally funded environmental education grant developing and testing course materials from elementary school to college level. He served a six month internship with the WVU Extension Environmental Education Specialist.
Sam has been employed at the city, county and state levels in West Virginia. He was an Extension Agent for two years, administrative assistant for admissions to the MU School of Medicine for six months, and the Community Development Director of Huntington for three years. He served as Executive Director of the WV Resource Recovery-Solid Waste Disposal Authority for eleven years. He was a market development representative for a major environmental company for one year. He has operated an environmental consulting business since 1990.
Sam has been a member of the WV Solid Waste Management Board and the WV Water Quality Advisory Committee. He served two years as Executive Director of the Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education.
Sam’s major environmental emphasis is solid waste, including recycling and composting. He is a certified yard waste facility operator and has received the National Backyard Compost training and the Compost Facility Best Management Practices training.
Sam has taught at Marshall since the spring of 2000. He has taught First Year Seminar 100, Integrated Science (ISC) 211 Living on Earth, Integrated Science and Technology (IST) 111 Living Systems, IST 120 Connections I, IST 220 Connections II, NRE 120 Discussions in Environmental Science, NRE 212 Energy, NRE 320 Nature of Environmental Problems, and NRE 321 Resolution of Environmental Problems. He has been involved in two Campus Compact service learning grants. He has completed Quality Matters for online teaching, critical thinking and service learning training.
Sam has completed Sustainability Awareness, Pollution Prevention and Environmental Management System training sponsored by WV Department of Environmental Protection, the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable and Bridgemont Community & Technical College.
His current research and service projects include: (1) Monitor and modify as needed the NRE 320 online course; (2) Continue evaluation of state-mandated waste reduction goal of 50%; (3) Monitor the reclamation of the former City of Huntington landfill; (4) Study the WV solid waste management system; (5) Research recycling in Huntington.
Sam lives in rural Wayne County, WV with his wife, Prudence. Prudence graduated from Marshall with bachelor’s and master’s degrees and is now retired after 34 years as an educator – 27 as an elementary teacher and 7 as a reading coach. They are active as volunteers in church and community activities. Sam is a volunteer assistant high school baseball coach.
They have two sons.
Andrew is a May, 2013 environmental engineering graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, an August, 2014 honor graduate of the Naval Dive School, a graduate of the Army Air Assault Course, and is a paratrooper. He is currently a captain in the Army serving as a special operations – civil affairs officer. He was formerly an engineer dive officer and professional diver for the Army. In 2015 he returned from deployment in the Middle East.
Samuel graduated in May, 2014 with honors from the University of Charleston and was selected as Senior of the Year. He served as battalion commander of the Army ROTC combined programs for WV State, Glenville State, WVU Tech and the University of Charleston and was named Cadet of the Year. He is currently a first lieutenant promotable in the Army serving as a military intelligence officer, is a paratrooper and graduated from the Army Reconnaissance Course in 2015. He is a licensed private pilot and a commercial drone pilot.