As an 1890 Land-Grant Institution, WVSU has a tripartite mission of teaching, research and service. Traditional classroom education has long been a hallmark of the University, which has been recognized for teaching excellence throughout the region. Meanwhile, our research portfolio has seen a massive expansion in the past decade, resulting in WVSU being recognized as one of West Virginia’s three research-focused institutions, along with Marshall University and West Virginia University. Finally, the mission of service has been an area in which WVSU has a long history, but little attention has been focused on it until recently.
Since its establishment in 1891, WVSU has been bringing the university to the people. Throughout the early years of the institution, agricultural and home economics were the focus of outreach efforts. Stellar educators such as Austin W. Curtis, who later served as George Washington Carver’s assistant at the Tuskegee Institute, were involved in providing outreach education to West Virginia’s residents.
From these early years through today, service has remained an integral piece of the fabric of our Institution. Today, outreach efforts take on different and varied approaches depending on the colleges, departments and units that guide the efforts. These diverse programs affect a broad spectrum of people in central and southern West Virginia. From innovative workforce training to next-generation science techniques and more, we are working hard to improve the lives of West Virginians.
For information about our campus' public service efforts, visit our
WVSU Extension Service section. Extension staff members are placed throughout the region, offering innovative programs pertaining to areas such as youth development, business, community, families and agriculture.
We'll soon be adding information about the exciting outreach efforts conducted by our faculty and students.