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WVU Student Aims To Connect Those Aging Out Of State Care To Higher Education

Less than three percent of people raised in state care nationwide obtain a college degree. One West Virginia University (WVU) Newman Civic Fellow aims to change that statistic.

Heidi Crum grew up in wardships, or as some know it, foster care. As an infant, she was removed from her biological parents, placed in state care and transferred across many states.

“When you’re raised in wardship, the people of influence are social workers, caseworkers, people in law enforcement,” Crum said. “As a little girl, that’s who I aspired to become. I was deeply ashamed when I wasn’t able to finish high school because of the way that I was discharged from the system. So I always knew that I aspired towards something serving other people or giving back.”

She describes her education as a journey, not a destination. She aged out of wardship at 15 years old and sought her GED as a personal goal.

“By the time I learned that less than three percent of people like me earn a college degree, I was frustrated enough, determined enough and convinced enough from personal experience that was accurate, that I wanted to get my degree,” Crum said.

Crum is attending WVU remotely from Missouri and will graduate in May of this year with her master’s degree in Higher Education Administration. She will begin doctoral work this fall in the same program.

When discussing state care, Crum said language is important. For her, terms like “foster care” paint an incorrectly comfortable portrait of the reality of day-to-day life as a ward of any state.

“As someone raised since infancy in wardship, my story has continually been written for me by other people,” Crum said. “There’s something very valuable about claiming ownership back of my voice, my story. And so the terminology, foster care, from my perspective, erases entire subpopulations because I was not only in foster care and foster care as a placement outcome after I had been removed from traumatic circumstances, the removal itself is traumatic, and the replacement is traumatic.”

According to the Pew Research Center, young adults without a permanent family fare far worse than other youth.

More than one in five end up homeless after age 18, while one in four become involved in the justice system within two years of leaving foster care. Fifty-eight percent of foster youth will graduate high school by age 19, compared to 87 percent of all 19-year-olds.

For her Newman Civic Project, Crum plans to expand her work with group homes, transitional living facilities and similar placement spaces.

“It’s just quite like WVU to continue to show up, to meet me where I am, and to validate and recognize that I am only one face and one voice, of people like me,” Crum said. “So it’s a tremendous honor. And I feel a little bit like an ambassador to sort of introduce two different worlds together. And that’s what I hope that I do very well.”

Crum completed her Regents Bachelor of Arts degree through the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences in 2021 with an emphasis on human services.

While she is a non-traditional student, attending virtually, Crum said WVU’s culture of support has helped inspire her to help others find safe spaces through education.

“But the crux of the issue at the heart of the matter was WVU simply allowing me to introduce myself, and to stand in the space that I was in, and for them to meet me where I was, in every single context, that has been the thesis,” Crum said.

Crum is one of 154 civic leaders from 38 states, Washington, D.C. and Mexico that Campus Compact has named to the 2023-2024 Newman Civic Fellows. She aims to close the gap between congregant facilities and colleges and universities, especially at regional and local levels.

WVU Moves To Testing-Optional Admissions

West Virginia University initially adopted a test-optional admissions policy ahead of the Fall 2020 semester, when restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were keeping many college-bound high school students from taking either the ACT or SAT.

West Virginia University (WVU) has permanently adopted a test-optional admissions policy.

WVU initially adopted a test-optional admissions policy ahead of the Fall 2020 semester, when restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were keeping many college-bound high school students from taking either the ACT or SAT.

George Zimmerman, assistant vice president for WVU Enrollment Management, said a variety of ways for students to engage with education have emerged, and higher education is evolving and changing.

“We’re not trying to keep students out at WVU,” he said. “We want to give students as much access as possible to a college education, and giving students the ability to make that decision as to whether or not they want to submit a test score, and if that’s the best representation of them, in terms of their academics, really opens that door for a lot of students.”

Nationwide, more than 1,800 institutions are test-optional or test-free, according to FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing.

Zimmerman said the university’s recently announced budget shortfalls, as well as national drops in higher education enrollment, did not play a role in the decision.

“We were navigating a large societal change in terms of a global pandemic that we’ve never been through before, and students never been through before,” he said.

Students have the option of submitting test scores with their application, later or not at all.

“This policy is actually more about giving students that option to be able to apply with their scores or not, and really providing access and removing barriers for education,” Zimmerman said. “What we’ve seen nationally is that students like institutions to be test optional. I think there’s a lot of other characteristics that we’re really looking into and taking into consideration and making sure that we’re again, setting that student up for success.”

New West Virginia State University President Inaugurated

On his inauguration day, West Virginia State University President Ericke Cage spoke of preparing students for a new global economy.

Cage joined the university in July 2021 as vice president and chief of staff and was subsequently appointed by the WVSU Board of Governors as the university’s chief operating officer on July 30, 2021.

Speaking before his Thursday investiture ceremony on WVSU’s Institute campus, Cage said he would double down on the historically black university’s history of excellence in education. He said a key was ensuring that curriculum aligns with the needs of an advancing workforce.

“We’re certainly going to be responsive to the needs of this new environment,” Cage said. “We’re going to look at how we’re delivering courses, what type of courses we’re delivering, ensuring that we’re meeting the needs of this workforce and the needs of our students.”

Representatives from universities throughout the state joined in the pomp and circumstance of the investiture. Marshall President Brad Smith described the bond among West Virginia’s institutions of higher education.

“Our universities are an ecosystem, we complement each other,” Smith said. “We all share the same common goal – to prepare our youth for the next chapter of the economy and the next chapter of society. So working with West Virginia State University has been Marshall University’s privilege.”

Leaders from universities around the state attended Cage’s inauguration. Credit: Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting

WVSU was among the state institutions opposed to Senate Bill 10, the Campus Self-Defense Act, also known as campus carry, allowing the concealed carry of firearms on school grounds. Cage said the school has comprehensive plans in place in terms of implementation.

“We are in the process of setting up a task force because we have a year to implement it,” he said. “The taskforce will include stakeholders from across the campus. We want folks to come to the table and talk about how we can best implement this, making sure that we have the tools in place to ensure that we’re keeping our community safe.”

Cage said when it comes to educating students for a productive future, he takes great pride in the school’s legacy as a historically black college or university (HBCU).

“It’s the basis upon which we were founded. It’s really about access and inclusion,” Cage said. “Since 1954, West Virginia State University has transitioned into what we fondly call a living laboratory of human relations. Our student body is wildly diverse, and we take great pride in that. I think our HBCU heritage will continue to inform our commitment to access and inclusion to a higher education degree.”

The new president is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in leadership studies. He holds a doctorate from the Rutgers University Law School and a masters of law degree in litigation and dispute resolution from George Washington University. He is also a graduate of the United States Air Force’s Air Command and Staff College and the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership.

A WVSU press release when Cage was named president noted that under his leadership, the university was able to obtain historic levels of state funding for its land-grant programs and Healthy Grandfamilies program during the 2022 state legislative session.

Cage becomes West Virginia State University’s 13th President.

W.Va. Universities, Colleges Preparing For Campus Carry Law

After years of failed attempts, Senate Bill 10, the Campus Self-Defense Act, also known as Campus Carry, passed in the recently completed legislative session.

After years of failed attempts, Senate Bill 10, the Campus Self-Defense Act, also known as Campus Carry, passed in the recently completed legislative session. The new law authorized the concealed carry of firearms in certain areas of college and university campuses. It takes effect July 1, 2024.

West Virginia’s institutions of higher education largely opposed campus carry. Campus leaders at big and small schools said they’ll need that much time to prepare.

Marshall University’s enrollment is a little more than 13,000. In the Eastern Panhandle, Shepherd University has just over 3,000 students. Both schools have campus carry committees and task forces that include administration, faculty, staff and students. Marshall Director of Public Safety Jim Terry said there are a wide variety of policy decisions on the table.

“We have a small group of senior leadership,” Terry said. “We’ve put together an action learning team made up of constituents from every facet of the university to go out and look at best practice, best policy.”

Holly Morgan Frye, vice president for Student Affairs, and the director of Community Relations at Shepherd University, said her school’s campus carry task force also includes attorneys and members of the residence life team.

Both schools now allow no firearms on campus. SB10 will permit concealed carry in classrooms and public areas, but not in stadiums and day care facilities. Frye said Shepherd’s key concern highlights student mental health and suicide issues.

“Everybody knows that the mental health issues on a college campus are on an increase,” Frye said. “We are getting ready to hire a fourth counselor. We have an enrollment of a little more than 3,000, and we feel that it’s critical that we have that fourth counselor because of the mental health issues.”

Marshall senior Abbey McBrayer said the chilling, anxious effect of COVID-19 still lingers on campus. She said campus carry could make it worse.

“A lot of people my age still feel uncomfortable being out on campus and going to like classrooms and things like that,” McBrayer said. “I think knowing that somebody could just have a gun in a classroom is kind of going to add to that. And then I mean, our counseling services are already kind of bogged down.”

Frye said she worries whether campus carry will affect enrollment for border schools like Shepherd. She believes the costs of ensuring campus safety will demand a larger police force.

Terry said the initial estimate for Marshall’s firearm security could reach $400,000, while Frye said the Shepherd cost could be several times that. Both point to residence halls, where guns are not allowed in dorm rooms, but are allowed in lunch rooms and lounges.

“I think that we’re going to have to be providing safes in order for any of our residential students who choose to carry to be able to lock those guns away when they are in their residential rooms,” Frye said. “We have already heard from our residential assistants with concerns about how they will manage that. For example, what will they do if they see somebody who has a gun? What will be the process?”

Terry said the school will have to create a new firearms policy when secondary school age visitors use campus facilities and with campus buildings jointly owned by public and private entities. He said there are no provisions in the law made for violation of campus carry policies, civil or criminal.

“We’re going to have to get with the county prosecutor,” Terry said. “There are no criminal statutes and there are no penalties attached to that code. If a person sees half a holster sticking out from underneath a jacket, and they call it in, he’s not violated the law. But we have nothing in place for a shirt raising up or something like that.”

Marshall freshman Jonathan Willman agreed with all the safeguards and security measures needed. However, he sees campus carry as a defensive necessity.

“I plan to carry myself when I get my concealed carry license,” Willman said. “We aren’t the people you have to worry about, it’s the people that break the laws. The bill allows kids to be able to defend themselves from people like that, who are already breaking the law and shooting up schools and campuses.”

W.Va. Higher Education Institutions Prepare For Campus Carry Law, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, after years of failed attempts, Senate Bill 10, the Campus Self-Defense Act, also known as Campus Carry, passed in the recently completed legislative session. The new law authorized the concealed carry of firearms in certain areas of college and university campuses.

On this West Virginia Morning, after years of failed attempts, Senate Bill 10, the Campus Self-Defense Act, also known as Campus Carry, passed in the recently completed legislative session. The new law authorized the concealed carry of firearms in certain areas of college and university campuses.

West Virginia’s institutions of higher education largely opposed campus carry. As Randy Yohe shows us, campus leaders at big and small schools say they’ll need all year and a quarter to prepare before SB 10 becomes law.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Our News Director Eric Douglas produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

Decline In Black Postsecondary Learners Sparks New National Initiative

From 2011 to 2019, the state saw a 35 percent decline in Black learners in higher education – about 3,000 students – and from 2019 to 2020, West Virginia saw another 10 percent decline. This is according to Martha Snyder, the managing director of Postsecondary Education Transformation with HCM Strategies.

For the past decade, the nation has seen a decline of more than 600,000 Black students in postsecondary education. More than half of that loss has been in our nation’s community and technical colleges.

West Virginia has seen a similar decline.

From 2011 to 2019, the state saw a 35 percent decline in Black learners in higher education – about 3,000 students – and from 2019 to 2020, West Virginia saw another 10 percent decline.

This is according to Martha Snyder, the managing director of Postsecondary Education Transformation with HCM Strategies. She and other education leaders from around the country discussed these declines and solutions in a webinar Wednesday.

“After digging into this data for some time, we simply could not ignore these facts and the impact that this has on both the individual and social levels,” Snyder said. “State and national economic and social vibrancy suffer. There’s economic impacts to these declines as much as the moral imperative as well. Collectively, this loss of Black learners has cost the nation $2.9 billion in indirect wages each year.”

Snyder said the declines are not due to obvious factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic or population loss, but rather access and transparency issues – things like understanding the true costs of college or simply reaching students and making sure they understand their higher education options.

The speakers sounded a call to action for colleges, universities, and the state and federal levels to join a new initiative called LEVEL UP. It aims to build this transparency and see more Black student success in postsecondary education.

“So many of these kinds of efforts just end with the report,” Zakiya Smith Ellis, principal of EducationCounsel, said. “And in this one, we really wanted to say, let’s have some commitments. Let’s talk about what we actually need to do, and let’s do it in a way that gets real about what we need to do for Black learners.”

LEVEL UP, which is an acronym for Leveraging Explicit Value for Every Black Learner, Unapologetically, is broken up into four parts.

“One is real transparency and true affordability,” Smith Ellis said. “So thinking about the affordability of programs for students. That means telling them in clear terms, what it will cost them as a bottom line to attend college, but also have that cost be based on, realistically, what can people afford to pay.”

The second key Smith Ellis identified is shared ownership.

“We need to ensure that every part of the system here at the federal level, the state and institutional leaders all have mechanisms for support and shared accountability for the success of Black learners,” Smith Ellis said.

Number three is about ensuring social and academic support are easily accessible.

“That looks like a variety of different things,” she said. “But we wanted to call out, in particular, intrusive advising, clear pathways to high wage and good jobs. And while doing those things, also addressing the mental health, the childcare, transportation, technology and food security needs that students have.”

The fourth key is learner-centered teaching practices.

“Teaching and learning need to really be centered on students’ lived experiences and their perspectives and really using them to guide us to help us figure out how we need to ground their learning,” she said.

Speakers pressed on the need for the country’s higher education institutions to adopt these goals and implement strategies to see success.

President of Compton College in California, Keith Curry, is the chair of the LEVEL UP initiative, and he spoke of ways his school has already “leveled up” to meet students where they are.

“This work is so important to me. It’s a part of my life,” Curry said. “At Compton College, we’ve been able to do some amazing things. Students eat for free, they don’t pay to park, they don’t have to pay for printing. Basic things to provide for our students. Health care services are available on campus. Why do I bring that up? Because we want to ask people to be real, and to level up, we need unapologetic leaders to step up in support of our students.”

To read the full LEVEL UP report, click or tap here.