Glenville State University Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Glenville State Researching Economic Development Challenges With ARC

A delegation from Glenville State University is among the 130 students from 10 colleges and universities gathered in Washington D.C. this weekend for an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) research symposium on economic development.

ARC Co-Chair Gayle Manchin said the gathering goes beyond stressing the importance of Appalachia’s academic institutions.

“It’s not just about a class project or about a grade but about the impact that that research can continue to do across the region,” Manchin said.

Ashley Nicholas is majoring in management at Glenville State. Her group’s affordable housing research found challenges in filling job openings in Gilmer and Calhoun Counties. Nicholas said they found faculty and staff vacancies at Glenville State and job openings at the Federal Corrections Institute and Hamilton Hospital related to a lack of working-class housing.

“There’s a lot of dilapidated housing, land hoarding issues that just need to be cleaned up,” Nicholas said. “So that we have the moderately priced income housing that these professionals need to come to the area.”

Other symposium issues under discussion deal with agriculture, tourism, health care and accessibility.

Manchin said finding answers to social problems gives these students a sharper focus on their future.

“Just the fact that they begin to sense that they have a place that they have a role to play in that community is very vital,” she said.

Glenville State’s delegation spoke with Sen. Joe Manchin about the jobs and housing problems. He said he would review their research and asked them to take things a step further.

“He recommended we create a community committee when we get back,” Nicholas said “So it’s not just Glenville State University’s project, it’s a community project.”

Nicholas says that the ‘town and gown’ committee will work with both county commissions to hopefully turn research into a positive reality.

The other student delegation’s participating in the ARC’s 23rd annual Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI) symposium include:

Alfred State College, Alfred, New York

Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina

Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama,

East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee

Frostburg State University, Frostburg, Maryland

Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania

Morehead State University, Morehead, Kentucky

Muskingum University, New Concord, Ohio,

Seton Hill University, Greensburg, Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee

Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia

An ARC press release said that since 2001, nearly 3,000 college and graduate students from 31 colleges and universities across Appalachia have participated in the ACRI. The release said that many students have gone on to careers in economic and community development across the region, applying what they learned in ACRI to strengthen the region.

University Leaders Call On Business Community For Help

The role of education in the state’s business future was a key talking point at this week’s West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Business Summit.

The role of education in the state’s business future was a key talking point at this week’s West Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Business Summit. Marshall University President Brad Smith and West Virginia University President Gordon Gee opened the summit by announcing a program to try and keep college graduates in the state.

Immediately after the announcement, Smith discussed how higher education is fueling West Virginia’s economy and on Thursday Gee was joined by Marty Roth, president of the University of Charleston, to discuss investments in the state’s next generation.

On Friday, presidents from the state’s smaller schools such as Glenville State University, WVU Tech and Mountwest Community & Technical College came together to discuss how higher education is driving change in West Virginia.

Ericke Cage, president of West Virginia State University, addressed the question of whether higher education still matters moving forward.

“There’s only one way that a self-described small town, country boy from southern Virginia is able to sit on the stage today and be the president of one of West Virginia’s great institutions, and that is through the transformative power of education,” Cage said. “Make no mistake, ladies and gentlemen, higher education still remains the greatest platform for social and economic mobility in our country.”

Sarah Armstrong Tucker, chancellor of the Higher Education Policy Commission called on the assembled business community to stand with higher education and its role in the state’s future job market.

“When I go out and I talk to students in K-12, not once do they tell me I’m choosing what I want to do for my future because of the football team,” Tucker said. “They tell me that they want a job. They want a job that will pay them enough money that they will be better off than their families were. They want security. They want to know that they will be able to feed their children. And that’s where we need you.”

Cybersecurity Workforce Training Planned At Glenville State University

The program’s aim is to create a sustainable economic future for West Virginia’s coal-impacted north central region. Anyone living in north central West Virginia in counties defined as “distressed” or “at-risk” can receive free training and certification in cybersecurity-related fields.

Glenville State University is partnering with the Appalachian Regional Commission to offer residents in distressed counties free cybersecurity training.

Demand for people with cybersecurity skills in West Virginia and other states is climbing steadily and that trend is projected to continue.

“Our POWER grant with ARC allows for the development of free boot camps, and will provide each participant with all the training materials, study guides and exams at no cost,” Peggy Runyon, Glenville State’s project director for the initiative, said.

Participants in identified counties will receive training and eventual certification in cybersecurity-related fields.

“We are making strong efforts to bring the training to the people in these counties,” Runyon said. “This training would cost several thousand dollars if you were paying for it out of pocket, so I sincerely encourage individuals to take advantage of this exclusive opportunity.”

West Virginia counties defined as “distressed” or “at-risk” include Barbour, Braxton, Calhoun, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Greenbrier, Harrison, Lewis, Mercer, Nicholas, Pocahontas, Ritchie, Roane, Summers, Tucker, Upshur, Webster and Wirt. Other West Virginia counties will be considered as well.

The first class, CompTIA Network+ is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 24; Sunday, June 25; and Saturday, July 1. No prerequisites are required but seating is limited.

The free training program is made possible through a Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization grant for the university’s Cybersecurity and Safety Workforce Development Initiative.

A total of $1,402,408 in local and federal funding is being provided for the project.

To sign up for the course or for more information, contact Peggy.Runyon@glenville.edu or call (304) 462-6383.

Summer Storytelling Workshop Offered At Glenville State University

Glenville State University is offering West Virginia high schoolers an opportunity to explore storytelling traditions this summer.

The weeklong “Come Spin a Tale!” workshop is a partnership between Glenville and the West Virginia Storytelling Guild.

Incoming 9th to 12th grade students, as well as new high school graduates, will be given instruction in drawing from personal narratives, developing improvisational skills, using body language and inflection, and more.

In a press release, workshop co-director Jo Ann Dadisman of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild said the chance to offer a week of youth storytelling is a dream come true and aligns with the guild’s goal to keep storytelling in the mountains a part of our folk culture.

“Storytelling is a significant part of our culture and our oral tradition, but there’s so much more to it,” said Dr. David O’Dell, Glenville State University professor of chemistry and workshop co-director. “The techniques that storytellers use to connect with an audience can be applied to any situation in which a speaker needs to connect with a group.”

The workshop fee is $100, which includes meals and lodging, and will take place from Monday, July 18 to Friday, July 22, on the Glenville State University campus.

W.Va.’s Higher Ed Leaders Approve New Nursing Programs At Concord, Glenville And University Status For Bluefield State

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission on Thursday approved two new Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs for Concord University and Glenville State University.

Gov. Jim Justice in December announced the West Virginia Nursing Workforce Expansion Program, which aims to address the ongoing nursing shortage. He said in that press briefing that the state has seen 1,700 nurses leave the field, and it’s been compounded by the stress of the coronavirus pandemic.

But the hope is the expansion program will change this trend.

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission on Thursday approved two new Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs for Concord University and Glenville State University.

“We are tremendously grateful to Gov. Justice for providing this historic funding to support the expansion of nursing education programs across West Virginia,” said Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s chancellor of higher education. “Through these new projects, our postsecondary education community will be better positioned to help shore up West Virginia’s nursing workforce, which, in turn, will help support our nurses working tirelessly on the front lines right now.”

The two new programs are among 27 nursing education programs at colleges, universities, schools of nursing, and career technical education centers across West Virginia that have received a total of $25.5 million through the governor’s nursing workforce expansion.

Concord will offer its own nursing program, while Glenville will offer its BSN through a partnership with Marshall University.

Concord’s BSN will be a 120 credit-hour program and will focus on meeting rural healthcare needs to help address the shortage of registered nurses in southern West Virginia.

Glenville State University will offer an educational opportunity that is not currently available in the central part of the state.

Concord’s BSN will begin in spring 2023, while Glenville’s will begin in the fall of that same year.

The HEPC on Thursday also approved university status for Bluefield State College.

The change will not go into effect until an official change is made by the school’s board of governors and the state legislature.

The criteria for university status, according to the HEPC, include offering at least one master’s-level degree program; having an approved mission statement that provides for the offering of graduate programs; obtaining the approval of the Higher Learning Commission to offer any master’s degree program; and having at least two-thirds of its faculty holding a terminal degree.