Vice Provost Mark Gavin sent the following letter to the University community Tuesday (March 12).

Dear West Virginia University Community,

At a time when change seems to be the only constant across every facet of society — at the federal, state and local levels to the higher education landscape and beyond — the steadfast commitment of West Virginia University to our students and our state remains tenacious and strong.

While our Board of Governors Chair Rick Pill recently penned a letter to the WVU community emphasizing many of our University’s strengths, there’s considerably more work underway. Many recruitment, retention and persistence efforts across Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management are ensuring that our flagship University remains a distinguished, relevant, affordable and accessible land-grant institution now and for decades to come.

New programs help expand our access mission

Thanks to the dedication of our deans, faculty and staff, our access mission continues to expand and evolve. With many of today’s fastest growing occupations requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher, our University has the honor and the responsibility to offer more opportunities to pursue a degree in higher education.

Research shows that bachelor’s degree holders enjoy a lifetime of higher earnings, job security, more career options, greater prospects for upward mobility, as well as financial and personal growth. In fact, over a lifetime, medium earnings are $1.2 million higher for bachelor’s degree holders.

To help students reap these benefits, we are developing more access points to reach a broader population.

The transition from an associate’s degree to a bachelor’s degree at West Virginia University has never been easier through WVU Degree Up. Students who are currently enrolled at participating West Virginia community and technical colleges are now automatically admitted into the WVU System. As long as eligible students fulfill the program’s GPA criteria, curriculum prerequisites and admissions requirements, they can receive personalized one-on-one coaching, transfer support, assistance with course registration and academic advising. 

The University also hopes to take price considerations out of the decision to attend and complete college. We continue to offer a wide range of scholarships and aid to remove barriers and ease students’ and families’ financial burdens, with 93% of Morgantown freshmen receiving financial assistance.

Our new WVU Guarantee is the latest financial investment we’re making to support our students. Open to incoming and current undergraduates across the WVU System who are West Virginia residents and have a family AGI of $65,000 or less, we will pay for tuition and University fees that aren’t covered by other financial aid or scholarships. Qualified students simply must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year.

Our systemwide career-ready focus heightens student success

Access and affordability coupled with the delivery of experiential learning and investments in career-ready programs offer the means to operationalize our land-grant mission.

Over the past few years, we appreciate the work of our colleges, schools and academic units for initiating new programs across our system that launch glide-paths to career success. Collectively, we remain focused on opening more doors for our students to not only attain a four-year degree in a field that interests them, but also to help fill high-quality, good-paying, in-demand jobs in West Virginia and around the world.

With more than 300 majors for students to complete an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, PhD or professional degree — plus a growing suite of microcredential opportunities for learners of all education levels — we are ensuring that our students gain the skillsets and knowledge to meet evolving workforce demands.

We are continuing to look around corners and invest in some of the fastest-growing sectors, including robotics, astrophysics, cybersecurity, data sciences, forensics and neuroscience – to name a few.

From our robotics students partnering with NASA to create state-of-the-art robotics labs and making history on the world stage by building the next generation of Mars rovers to students at the epicenter of neuroscience research through groundbreaking ultrasound treatments, we are leading the way in experiential learning at the highest levels.

Our Management Information Systems major, engineering degrees and Game Design and Interactive Media are educating students to become premier problem-solvers and critical thinkers of the future, today. Our forensic programs draw students from around the country and world as we house the largest crime scene training complex in the country and help place students in prominent jobs, including at the FBI, Department of Defense and other federal and state agencies. Our astrophysics students are truly gaining out-of-this-world research experience by working alongside internationally renowned faculty through discoveries in fast radio bursts, quantum computing, innovations in energy science and more. And our cybersecurity work is just heating up. 

Our regional campuses are also known for their workforce-ready focus, with the WVU Institute of Technology in Beckley offering more than 30 programs, including in the high-demand, complex construction industry through their construction management program that boasts of a 100% job placement rate. Meanwhile, WVU Potomac State College in Keyser is one of the nation’s most affordable colleges that lean into more than 60 associate’s degrees and a host of bachelor’s degrees where students can excel in their jobs on day one. We are proud that our students are becoming experts in their field, oftentimes in just two years, such as in our surgical technology program, where students are trained to assist in surgeries, operating room preparation and patient safety.

These investments are paying off for our students. According to College Scorecard, WVU graduates earn $10,000 more than other college graduates 10 years after graduation — 32% more than other college graduates.

West Virginia University is a forward-looking, career-ready university that’s developing the next generation of West Virginia leaders, field experts, researchers and entrepreneurs. We will continue to guarantee extraordinary, challenging, life-changing experiences for our students. As times change, WVU remains the state’s constant. 

Sincerely,

Mark Gavin
Vice Provost
West Virginia University