West Virginia Executive Fall 2025 | Page 92

“ We are thrilled by the tremendous success of the STEAM TAC’ s collaborative partnership with BHE Renewables, which brought together our expert teams to design and deliver the new Bright Ideas immersion to middle school students in Jackson County,” says Donna Peduto, executive director of the WVPEC.
The event marked a celebration of West Virginia’ s public educators and their crucial role in shaping the future workforce.
Ravenswood Middle School eighth grade students learn how solar energy is converted into usable power.
“ Not only were the students captivated by the immersive experience that focused on the science behind solar energy and replicated real-world STEAM applications, but teachers were equipped with resources to support STEAM learning beyond the immersions,” Peduto says.“ We hope
to bring this caliber of experiential learning through the Bright Ideas immersion to even more classrooms across West Virginia in the future.”
WVWC Named No. 2 Best Value School by U. S. News & World Report
West Virginia Wesleyan College( WVWC) has been recognized as the No. 2 Best Value School by U. S. News & World Report— the only regional college in West Virginia to earn a Best Value Ranking in the 2026 Best Colleges publication.
Under the U. S. News & World Report’ s rankings, the college was also named a Best Regional College in the South. WVWC is listed as one of the Top Performers on Social Mobility, which measures how well schools enroll and track graduate students who received federal Pell Grants.
Celebrating 135 years of equipping students for the future, WVWC is also one of 98 institutions of higher learning listed in The Princeton Review 2026 Best Colleges, Best in the Mid-Atlantic list. The Princeton Review recognized 631 colleges for 2026 that are considered academically outstanding.
“ With continued success in enrollment, including a 38 % growth in graduate students this year and 100 % enrollment in our first LPN to BSN pathway cohort, it is clear students and families value a Wesleyan education and recognize it as the premier education in our region,” says Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing John
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE