Massey Energy has pledged $500,000 to the mining and civil engineering programs at West Virginia University and WVU Institute of Technology at Montgomery. The funds will be used to provide scholarships and other academic enhancements.

"We hope our donation will help West Virginia University attract the best and brightest engineering students from throughout Central Appalachia," said Don Blankenship, Massey Energy Chairman and CEO. "We believe this donation will have a lasting positive impact on improving educational opportunities in our state. It is the best investment we can make in the future of West Virginia."

The Massey Energy Scholarship Fund in Mining and Civil Engineering for WVU and WVU Tech will provide $36,000 annually for five years ($180K) for scholarships for students enrolled in WVU's College of Engineering and Mineral Resources (CEMR), and $12,000 ($60K) for students enrolled in the Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering and Sciences at WVU Tech.

"Energy and civil infrastructure are two areas in which there is a great need for well-educated engineers," said Gene Cilento, Glen Hiner Dean of the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. "This gift will therefore not only benefit the students who receive these scholarships, but will contribute to the economic development of our state and nation by helping to fill that need."

Massey is providing an additional $260,000 over five years for outreach programs and academic enhancements at the two schools. The Massey Energy Activity Fund will support outreach to high school and middle school students who may have an interest in the mining and civil engineering fields. It also will support academic enhancements, Massey Energy on-campus activities including internships, and participation in the CEMR Career Fair and the CEMR speaker series.

"Massey's outreach investment in the institutions that provide West Virginia with its energy engineering professionals demonstrates the company's commitment to ensuring a bright future for young West Virginians and a bright outlook for the economy of our state," said Scott Hurst, campus provost of WVU Tech.

First preference for the scholarships will be given to students pursuing a career in mining and/or civil engineering who are from southern West Virginia including Boone, Fayette, Kanawha, Logan, Mingo, Nicholas, Raleigh and Wyoming counties. Second preference will be for students from eastern Kentucky, southwestern Virginia or other areas of the United States.

Massey Energy Company, headquartered in Richmond, Va., with operations in West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia, is the fourth largest coal company in the United States based on produced coal revenue and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Visit: http://www.masseyenergyco.com