Students in West Virginia University’s energy land management program will have the opportunity to learn more about their field with the help of new software gift from Landworks Inc.
Pandell Landworks is a comprehensive land management software that allows students to replicate industry scenarios demonstrating the daily operations of land management companies.
The software will benefit students by providing them with a deeper understanding of company owned leases and property management at the corporate level.
“They actually get to take lease analysis to the next level by looking at a lease and breaking it apart,” said Stefanie Hines, teaching assistant professor of energy land management in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. “They have to enter the data into a system so that they’re really understanding and extracting the information rather than just reading it or looking it over.”
Students will utilize the software in different classes and for research purposes while cultivating a better understanding of their future land management careers. Before acquiring the new software, the program used ArcGIS. Pandell Landworks is a more robust system that includes ArcGIS.
“We are excited to partner with a flagship university and to offer this tool to a new generation of land professionals,” said Mary Walker, marketing manager for Landworks, Inc. “Because Pandell LandWorks software addresses the functions that land departments must perform daily, this gift should create real-life opportunities for West Virginia University students to transition from the classroom into careers and to meet workforce needs.”
Hines, who connected with the company after speaking at a conference, is grateful for the budding partnership.
“This is a great thing for our students and can be used as a resume builder. They’re going to come out with exposure to this software which will help them understand the process and the purpose. It takes it from understanding land management from a field perspective to understanding at the corporate level.”
WVU is one of 12 programs in the U.S. accredited by the American Associate of Professional Landmen.
The gift was made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit corporation that solicits and administers private donations on behalf of the University.