Moving the Mountain
State Forward
COMPILED BY JENNIFER JETT PREZKOP
Halfway through West Virginia Executive (WVE) magazine’s
2019 College Campus Tour, it became apparent the Fall 2019
issue would resurrect an old feature favorite: Moving the
Mountain State Forward. In the past, WVE has opened the
floor to its readers, encouraging them to identify challenges
they see impacting citizens, businesses and industries around
the state. There was only one catch: if a challenge was going
to be discussed, the author had to also provide a solution.
During the college campus tour, college and university pres-
idents openly discussed not only the challenges their institu-
tions face but also the roadblocks that can deter students from
completing their degrees and the obstacles that are getting in
the way of West Virginia’s success. In this version of Moving
the Mountain State Forward, seven presidents from public and
private four-year institutions as well as community and technical
colleges share the challenges directly impacting their students
and the solutions they’ve formulated to achieve success.
Dr. Tim Barry
President
Alderson Broaddus University
CHALLENGE: Like many other institutions, Alderson
Broaddus University (AB) faces the pressure to expand
access, promote innovation and support economic growth
and diversification while strategically increasing afford-
ability and upholding our mission of providing the highest
quality education. The greatest among our challenges,
however, is figuring out how best to connect the education
we are providing our students with the business industry
in West Virginia.
SOLUTION: The crucial role of the postsecondary system
is to expand access to opportunities for all West Virginians.
Part of AB’s outlook for expanding academic programming
includes partnering with community and technical colleges
around the state to offer a guaranteed admission process. AB
has already entered into agreements with Pierpont Community
& Technical College in Fairmont and New River Community
and Technical College in Beckley to ensure their transfer stu-
dents are set up for success and can seamlessly transition to
our university. These new partnerships provide students with
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even more opportunities to continue their education and remain
in West Virginia.
While we look to expand our academic footprint and col-
laborate with other institutions, we are focused on introducing
new majors that fit the current and future needs of essential
industries in West Virginia. Our number one focus is our stu-
dents. We are equipping them with an adaptive skill set to solve
both today’s and tomorrow’s problems while simultaneously
preserving our place as innovators.
As president of Alderson Broaddus, I am particularly concerned
with the West Virginia population and those choosing to leave
the state to find careers. West Virginia lacks a cohesive plan for
the congruent growth of business and corporate sectors and
the postsecondary sectors. This conversation must include
private, independent institutions as well as state institutions
and community and technical colleges. All the elements of a
definite plan for strategic growth are present, but there remains
a lack of conversation between the business industry and the
postsecondary sector.
West Virginia must address the need to improve the access,
variety and worth of the educational opportunities it provides
its citizens. There is a clarion call for cooperation and collab-
oration between all our institutions. The solution would be as
simple as establishing visionary leadership and transparent
dialogue to discuss how we are institutionally serving the
needs of our state. Strong communication to determine what
is being done and what needs to be done will propel our state
forward to become more competitive in the world we live in.
Dr. Bonny Copenhaver
President
New River Community
and Technical College
CHALLENGE: West Virginia faces a shortage of trained
workers with less than one-third of residents holding an
associate degree or higher. Colleges and universities across
the state are also experiencing a decline in enrollment
with those in Southern West Virginia seeing the sharpest
declines.
SOLUTION: In order to accomplish our mission of providing
accessible, affordable, quality education and workforce