Education
Ph.D., Human Science-Organizational Systems, Saybrook
M.S., Resource Management, Virginia Tech
B.A., Business-Management, Queens
Area of Expertise
Barbara McFall brings a lifetime of management experience to her leadership of the Division of Design & Merchandising. Prior to joining WVU, she owned and operated entrepreneurial enterprises in Charlotte, NC, Houston, TX, and in Roanoke, VA. Some were engaged directly with art and design. Others dealt with various forms of financing. From this experience she learned a) to think holistically, b) to value both discrete elements and the linkages between, and c) to track impacts both over time and across populations. Dr. McFall’s academic and research interests reflect this creative multi-tasking history. Through her academic study of resource management and systems theory, she developed the Personal Resource Systems Model and Matrix (PRSM). Today she applies that systems framework to the study of quality of living. Her PRSM work has been featured in the co-authored text Designing YOUR Future: An Introduction to Career Preparation and Professional Practices in Interior Design.
PRSM articles have appeared in the Journal of Community Informatics, Systemic Practice and Action Research, Educational Technology, the Journal of Interior Design, and the Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, among others. She has shared her expertise with primary and secondary educators through the Appalachia Educational Institute, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, FCCLA, and AAFCS. At the university level she has taught PRSM principles at Virginia Tech and at WVU. Dr. McFall considers complex and dynamic design thinking to be the surest route to enhanced quality of living. In sharing this process with learners at all levels she hopes to contribute to the satisfaction and well-being of this region and the world at large.
Classes
ID 330: Design for Quality of Living
ID 495: Independent Study
Service
2005-present, Metropolitan Theater Restoration Foundation, Board
2006-2008, National Chair, Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society
