Brad Smith Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

‘Gear Up’ Program Gets High Schoolers Ready For Careers

West Virginia colleges and universities are working to face enrollment challenges head on. One element in that effort is the statewide “Gear Up” program, encouraging high school seniors to get ready for college and careers.

Marshall University president Brad Smith welcomed about 200 seniors to the school’s Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center stage. Mason County Hannan High School’s Samantha Henken said she was looking forward to graduation, but not the day after that.

“I’m scared. I’m really nervous,” Henken said. “To be honest, it’s scary. It has a lot to do with adulthood. You’re no longer in high school around a bunch of kids and you don’t have as much college support as you would in high school.”

Seniors from Hannan, Point Pleasant, Tolsia and Lincoln County High Schools were all bussed to Marshall to hear from academic program leaders, fraternity and sorority life coordinators, student body leaders, have lunch and get a campus tour.

Mallory Carpenter is the regional program director for the West Virginia Gear Up program. She said Gear Up’s federally-funded goal is simply to get students interested in any kind of education or training after high school.

“Whether that’s for year to year, trade, school, military certificate programs, apprenticeships, the whole gamut,” Carpenter said. “We just want students to go on and do something after high school.”

Developing that post-secondary school interest is Point Pleasant High English teacher and Gear Up site coordinator Carla Grady’s job as well, no matter what the student’s socio-economic status may be.

“We have students who come from overcoming many obstacles, broken families and near poverty conditions,” Grady said. “Then, we have students who have great support systems at home and can afford to do some different options as well. Coming to Marshall University’s campus gives them an opportunity to envision themselves living a life here on campus and getting exposure to all their career options.”

Point Pleasant senior Luke Pyles said his career options may include something along the lines of technology or media.

“I know Marshall has a new cybersecurity program that I’m really looking forward to looking into,” Pyles said. “That’s one of the reasons why I came on this trip today. But I’m still not 100 percent nailed down or tied to anything.”

President Smith said he hopes Gear Up days at Marshall inspires students to see all the possibilities they have before them.

“It helps them understand what’s available at college, what’s available at trade schools and community college, what’s available in the military,” Smith said. “We want them to be lifelong learners and realize that any and all of these options are wonderful ways for them to create the future they want.”

Marshall is one of many universities across the state and nation that are retooling their curriculum to meet the changing workforce demands of today and tomorrow. Smith said that’s happening at Marshall without breaking any academic traditions.

“We are not forsaking liberal arts at all,” Smith said. “We need to have individuals to be great citizens to be great contributors to their community, but also have the career skills to participate in the 21st century. Those things are not ‘ors’, they are ‘ands’, and at Marshall University we’re embracing an ‘all of the above’ education strategy.”

Fears not withstanding, and having a goal in mind, Samantha Henken said she wants to be an EMT, and the collegiate medical path may be her way forward.

“The universities here in West Virginia are gearing up a lot more toward workforce development,” Henken said. “The world today is turning into more hands-on stuff. It’s going to be a lot harder to find jobs like construction and medical if you don’t go to college for it, because those involve taking care of people and it puts a lot towards your community.”

That’s why Samantha and hundreds more West Virginia high school seniors are getting “Geared Up.”

Marshall University’s New Cyber Security Institute Poised To Become National Leader

MU President Brad Smith noted that U.S. News and World Report has said the best job right now in America is a cyber security job.

In a press conference and bill signing at Marshall University (MU) on Tuesday, school president Brad Smith said university and state leaders have been working since 2016 to establish a state-of-the-art Institute for Cyber Security.

“We said we need to look into the future,” Smith said. “What are the greatest secular trends? What are the greatest unsolved problems that our world is wrestling with, that we as West Virginians have proven that we can be distinctive, we can be excellent, and we can bring solutions to those problems. And when doing so we strengthen our own economy and prepare a better tomorrow for our next generation. Cybersecurity was at the top of that list.”

Gov. Jim Justice signed House Bill 117 into law that invests $45 million taxpayer dollars into the program.

House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, said that he and Smith had the opportunity recently to spend an afternoon with a defense contractor in Seattle, Washington.

“And the leader of our tour there that day said that it was their mission to defend America, on sea, on air, on land, in space, and in cyberspace,” Hanshaw said. “It takes a new kind of a new kind of professional to defend our country against the kinds of threats that we will face because those threats come in new ways today.”

The proposed downtown Huntington facility will house state-of-the-art cyber security technology and training programs and become the cyber locus, where industry from throughout Appalachia and the country will find training, mentoring and learn the most up-to-date cyber trends.

Smith noted that U.S. News and World Report has said the best job right now in America is a cyber security job.

“There are 714,000 open positions for people with these credentials today,” Smith said. “It’s projected that from now to 2031, the job growth in cyber security will grow by 35 percent.”

Smith said the new institute will position the university at the national forefront of cyber defense and research.

Click here for more details on the Marshall University Institute for Cyber Security.

Marshall University Reducing Some Tuition Fees To Enhance Student Recruitment

University employees are also expected to receive a nominal pay raise of $1,350.

On Wednesday, the Marshall University Board of Governors approved the university’s 2023-2024 budget.

Tuition highlights include a two and a half percent increase in tuition and fees for resident and non-resident undergraduate and graduate students, as well as an 11 percent reduction in tuition and fees for students identified as residents of the designated metro counties in neighboring Ohio and Kentucky.

Marshall Chief Financial Officer Matt Tidd said the double-digit reduction for the metro region brings tuition for the border university more in line with in-state tuition offered at schools in the region.

Tidd said Marshall must enroll slightly fewer than 100 metro students to offset the fee reduction.

The approved fiscal year 2024 budget includes projected revenues of almost $314 million and projected expenses of almost $342 million and includes a $37.2 million athletics budget.

The university is facing nearly a $28 million deficit, but Tidd said they are planning several initiatives to narrow the gap including continuing to grow research grants and enrollment, as well as introducing a “Save to Serve” culture to eliminate waste and inefficiencies through a shared governance accountability model and investing in e-procurement capabilities.

Marshall University President Brad Smith told the board the school’s ‘value position’ regarding student recruitment is very simple.

“You want to provide access to an affordable, flexible, achievement oriented education for all who aspire to a more prosperous life,” Smith said.

University employees are also expected to receive a nominal pay raise of $1,350.

As Enrollment Drops, Marshall Aims To Change Spending Strategy

Marshall University President Brad D. Smith identified enrollment, the experience of students, and faculty needs as the major areas Marshall needs to improve.

After receiving 1,200 suggestions from listening sessions over his first 100 days, Marshall University President Brad D. Smith identified enrollment, the experience of students, and faculty needs as the major areas Marshall needs to improve.

Marshall has lost a fifth of the enrollment it had six years ago. Smith said part of the reason was common skepticism toward investing time and money into getting a degree. He also said that Marshall’s decline in enrollment mirrored a similar economic decline in the southwestern part of West Virginia, where the university receives the majority of its enrollment.

“After 2026, just given the birth rate in our country, it starts to drop precipitously, if you’re only focused on 18 year olds coming to college, then your enrollment is going to go down just because the demographics are not working in your favor,” Smith said when discussing a national trend known as the, “enrollment cliff.”

Marshall hopes to improve enrollment by reducing tuition. The school is also shifting their focus away from 18 year olds and towards potentially older students over a wider geographical area.

Smith also hopes to improve enrollment by using a “high flex education model,” which will give students the opportunity to attend classes both in person and virtually.

Marshall is also working with McKinsey Consulting to make operations, such as the student bookstore, more accessible to older, employed students.

In 2021, McKinsey agreed to a nearly $573 million settlement with 47 states over investigations into their involvement with the opioid epidemic.

“I don’t feel conflicted,” Smith responded when asked about McKinsey Consulting’s controversy. “The reason why I don’t feel conflicted is they are all in to try and do this right.”

To support Marshall faculty, Smith says that the school needs to match the compensation from other universities and he is looking to support their faculty by lightening the workload. “When you’re a research university, you need more labs, you need more graduate assistants, you need to give your professors a chance to back off a little bit on teaching load and increase the opportunity to do other things,” Smith said. “We haven’t kept pace.”

By saving two months of operating cash as a baseline, Marshall is looking to become financially resilient toward an event such as another pandemic. Beyond that reserve, Smith says the university will put that money towards students, faculty, and improving existing infrastructure.

Service Wire Providing $1 Million For Business Center At Marshall

Service Wire Co. has committed $1 million for a business center at Marshall University, the school's foundation announced.

Service Wire Co. has committed $1 million for a business center at Marshall University, the school’s foundation announced.

Service Wire will provide funding and wire and cable products for the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation at Marshall. The Transformative Sales and Service Excellence Center will be renamed in honor of the company.

“Service Wire has a long-standing history partnering with Marshall University, and we are pleased to continue this legacy,” said Louis Weisberg, president and CEO of Service Wire.

Service Wire is a family-owned wire and cable manufacturer with locations including West Virginia, Texas and Arizona, according to a news release Wednesday from the foundation.

The new facility is to be built on a site that previously held an apartment complex. It’s expected to open in January 2024, the release said.

State Legislators Receive Update On Ascend WV Program

State legislators got an update on the Ascend West Virginia program from Chelsea Ruby, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Tourism and Danny Twilley, Assistant Vice President of the West Virginia University Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative

During Monday’s legislative interim meetings, Chelsea Ruby, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Tourism, and Danny Twilley, Assistant Vice President of the West Virginia University Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative, gave the West Virginia Legislative Oversight Commission on Workforce Investment for Economic Development an update on Ascend WV.

In exchange for moving to the West Virginia towns of Morgantown, Shepherdstown, and Lewisburg, workers were paid $12,000, given access to professional development through West Virginia University, co-working facilities, and one year of free passes and two years of free rentals for outdoor recreation as part of the Ascend WV Program.

For the Ascend program in Morgantown, 7500 people applied for 50 spots. The applications came from all 50 states and from more than 70 countries.

Of the people who eventually moved to Morgantown, 23 percent originally hailed from the Mountain State. One of the new Morgantown residents hailed from Berlin.

“We’ve really seen a very diverse set of applicants,” said Ruby.

Contrary to earlier estimates, the program didn’t primarily appeal to people working remotely in the tech industry.

“There’s healthcare, computer systems, manufacturing, management, and then professional services,” she said.

The primary challenge was finding housing for new residents. Ruby indicated that the tax incentives from the recent passing of the Build WV Act will make it easier to find housing for new residents.

“The hope is that we can find some private developers to help us do that work rather than the state or WVU taking on that type of rehabilitation,” Ruby said.

Danny Twilley told legislatures that Ascend WV doesn’t just incentivize individuals to West Virginia, but tries to help them join the local community with events.

“We ask them to bring their families along with their significant others because, again, it’s all about building that sense of community and sense of belongingness,” said Twilley.

Secretary Ruby said the program was successful in presenting the state as a place to work remotely and even retire. She added that data shows Ascend advertising having a positive effect on the state’s image.

“The exposure of this Ascend program is really starting to get some traction. People are really starting to think about West Virginia as a place to work remotely,” she said. “That data shows Ascend advertising having a positive effect on the state’s image. These tourism ads layering on top of the remote worker ads are also starting to help, and we are continuing to improve West Virginia’s image overall.”

Ascend WV looks to expand to 1000 remote workers across five West Virginia towns.