University Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Marshall Community, Local Leaders Say New President Brad Smith Can Create Entrepreneurial Culture for University, Region

The news that Brad Smith will become Marshall’s next president sparked high interest across the state as the corporate CEO returns home to helm his alma mater.

Community leaders in the Huntington area say they are optimistic for the future of the University.

“I’m a bit biased because I was on the Presidential Search Committee,” said Tracy Christofero, who serves as chair of Marshall University’s Faculty Senate, “What I like about him as a candidate is that he knows Marshall, he knows the environment. He knows the culture of West Virginia, and I believe he has always had the best interest of the university and the region at heart.”

Cathay Burns, Executive Director of the Huntington Municipal Development Authority, said that Brad Smith has been an advocate for revitalization by facilitating economic growth. She said Smith’s selection can create dual connectivities — “not only for the students, but also for business leaders and economic development leaders in the region. And not just the community, but the entire region, the entire state and the surrounding states.”

Huntington Mayor Steve Williams was similarly hopeful that Smith’s corporate leadership background will help him to shape a strong mindset for the future of the state. “Frankly, I can’t be more thrilled for Huntington and for the state of West Virginia that we have him right here to be able to help us create a culture of entrepreneurship,” Williams said.

Having Smith as Marshall’s president means his skills and knowledge can be passed down to students in the region, Williams said. He thinks Smith has the ability, “to lead, to teach, and also to reinforce that we can compete with anybody.”

Marshall University President Jerome Gilbert hugging his successor Brad Smith

Despite the warm reception from community leaders and faculty, some students have expressed concern over Smith’s background outside of academia. Student body president Alyssa Parks said students are slowly warming up to the new president despite some initial hesitancy.

“Brad has been really open to talking to anyone who has had any concerns. I think that’s a really great quality in him. He’s open to tough conversations. He’s open to criticism,” Parks said. “Once he gets into the office, he can start talking to people and people really get to know him.”

The hiring model of selecting a non-academic to lead a public institution isn’t new, Christofero said. “Some percent of the universities now are run by people with non-traditional backgrounds in academia.”

Christofero doesn’t see Smith’s background as being a hindrance if he has the right people around him. “As long as we have a strong provost, that’s really who takes care of the academic side. Theoretically, the president certainly needs to deal with our donors and all of the university, the legislators, fundraising and promoting Marshall to help increase enrollment.”

West Virginia College to Offer Certain Students Free Tuition

Eligible West Virginia students could receive free tuition at Bluefield State College this fall.

News outlets report the college announced Tuesday that over a dozen programs classified as “high-skilled, high-demand” would begin offering free tuition.

Qualifying students can be incoming, current or transferring state residents that are Pell grant eligible and have completed their Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Students must also maintain a 2.0 grade point average. Programs that will accept free tuition students include engineering, computer science, nursing, business, education and criminal justice.

College officials said more than 70% of Bluefield State’s students could be eligible.

Bluefield State’s website shows nondiscounted tuition can be almost $4,000 for residents and $7,000 for out of state students.

Bluefield State is a public, historically black college in southwestern West Virginia.

Public Colleges and Universities in W.Va. See Lowest Tuition Increase in Nearly Ten Years

It’s not uncommon for tuition rates at universities and colleges to fluctuate in price from year-to-year. But this year, at West Virginia’s colleges and universities, the average tuition increase is the lowest for the state in almost a decade.

For the upcoming 2019-2020 school year, the average cost for in-state tuition at West Virginia’s four-year institutions will be $7,690, according to the Higher Education Policy Commission. That’s a 2.4 percent increase over last year’s tuition rates.

To put that in perspective – basically for the upcoming school year, students will be spending an average of $177 more on their yearly tuition.

According to Sarah Tucker, Interim Chancellor of the HEPC, this is the lowest increase in nearly ten years. She says this low increase comes as a result of four-year institutions trying to keep their tuition prices predictable and affordable.

Tuition for all public four-year institutions.

Two institutions, Glenville State College and West Virginia State University, did not see a tuition increase this year. This is the second year that Glenville State College kept its tuition rate the same from one year to the next.

A full schedule of all tuition, fees, room and board may be found in the meeting agenda book.

Texting is Helping W.Va. Students Get Ahead in Higher Ed

High school seniors in West Virginia who sign-up to receive text message reminders for college preparedness are doing better in their first-year of college, according to a recent study. And findings show this prep tactic is even more effective in rural areas. West Virginia Public Broadcasting explored why and brings you this report.

Five years ago, select schools in West Virginia’s GEAR UP program, or “Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs,” participated in a national text message initiative to get high school seniors more prepared for college. That initiative spread statewide to all West Virginia high schools almost two years ago.

A University of Virginia study found that high school seniors in West Virginia who received these text reminders were almost 7 percent more likely to persist through their first-year of college. But among students from rural areas, that number jumps to 8 percent. Why?

“The magnitude of the effect is larger for rural students than it is for students overall,” said Katharine Meyer, a graduate student in Education Policy from the University of Virginia who helped author the study. She spoke with West Virginia Public Broadcasting via Skype.

“Particularly, rural students are coming from an area where we know from other studies, they may be the first person from their community to attend an individual college, because they’re coming from smaller high schools,” she noted, “and so we saw these messages as sort of, sending students messages of support, messages of belonging, and helping them feel like they were supported and welcome in the new community.”

The University of Virginia founded the national text message project. West Virginia was one of the first states to help pilot the project when it began five years ago.

West Virginia’s text message service is called “Txt 4 Success,” and it’s spearheaded here by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.

Students who opt into the program receive reminders throughout the year about things like financial aid deadlines and information about declaring a major. Most of these texts are automated, but if a student texts back with a question or concern, they’ll more than likely hear from a real person from either the West Virginia HEPC or a counselor at one of the program’s eight college partners.

20-year-old Concord junior Chelsea Goins is a first-generation college student and comes from a rural area. She commutes to Concord from Princeton and she’s involved in a lot of activities…

“I currently work in Concord University’s president’s office, admissions office, and campus bookstore,” Goins said, “I’ve cheered since my freshman year for our football and basketball teams. I also teach dance classes at Princeton Dance Studio and Princeton Health and Fitness Center.”

A lot… Goins says a big part of why she’s been able to stay organized and on top of all these activities while also doing well in school is “Txt 4 Success.”

“The text messages provide informational links and deadlines for orientations, FAFSA, enrollment checklists, sending transcripts, payment plans, and a lot more,” she explained, “It definitely helped me as a high school senior, because the texting service provided information I had never heard of.”

Goins says she found the program most helpful when it came to filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

“In high school deadlines are kind of negotiable. If you’re late, it’s okay, but with FAFSA, if you’re late, it’s over,” she noted, “you have to file it. And so, that was a hard thing to understand, that there was a deadline.”

Goins says she thinks the service has also been helpful overall for her age-group, because texting is how she and her peers communicate most frequently.

It was for that reason West Virginia HEPC Chancellor Paul Hill says he wanted West Virginia to help pioneer this program – because it’s an efficient way to communicate with young people and because it helps those first-generation students.

“We have found some mechanisms to reach student populations that we have not reached traditionally in the past; that through increased communication, we can have an impact on students by providing them with the types of information that they need to get, so I think it’s opening up a channel of direct communication to reach those students who need it most,” he said.

Hill says there are more than 22,000 students registered in the state’s texting service. All high schools in West Virginia are involved in the program, as well as Bluefield, Marshall, Shepherd, Concord, Fairmont, and West Virginia State universities, and Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College and West Virginia Northern Community College.

Hill says the HEPC’s focus now is on pushing more college prep in elementary and middle schools.