West Virginia State University Names Campus Facilities in Honor of Former President Hazo W. and Judge Phyllis Carter

8/7/2020

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Contact: Jack Bailey
Jbaile19@wvstateu.edu
(304) 766-4109
     
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The West Virginia State University (WVSU) Board of Governors voted Friday to approve naming a campus building and its surrounding property in honor of former WVSU President Dr. Hazo W. Carter Jr. and his wife, Judge Phyllis Carter.

The newly christened Dr. Hazo W. Carter Jr. Integrated Research and Extension Building, located on the site of the former West Virginia Rehabilitation Center property on the University’s Institute campus, houses agricultural research laboratories and faculty offices, as well as meeting and classroom spaces for WVSU Extension Service programming efforts. Additionally, the Board approved naming the land accompanying the facility the Dr. Hazo W. and Judge Phyllis H. Carter Food and Agricultural Complex.

“Dr. Carter and Judge Carter gave so much of their time and effort to truly transform West Virginia State into the University that you see today,” said WVSU Interim President Dr. R. Charles Byers. “I am pleased the Board of Governors has taken this action to honor the Carters and their lasting legacy.”

The Carters served as President and First Lady of WVSU from 1987 to 2012. Shortly after becoming the institution’s ninth president, Carter began a 12-year quest to regain land-grant status at West Virginia State. Due to his leadership, the University was once again recognized on both the state and federal levels as an 1890 land-grant institution with accompanying funding to carry out its mission. Also during his tenure, in 2004, West Virginia State gained University status and began to offer graduate degrees in biotechnology and media studies.
           
During her service at WVSU, Judge Carter was instrumental in the establishment of the Booker T. Washington Institute and expanding the University’s research and land-grant footprint in the Kanawha Valley. She represented the University nationally by serving as the minority liaison for 1890 Historically Black Land-Grant Institutions, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges to the Council for Agriculture, Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges (NASULGC).
           
Dr. and Judge Carter both passed away in 2014.

The naming announcement is part of WVSU’s efforts to strengthen its agricultural, food and natural resources programming through infrastructure improvement activities at the site of the former West Virginia Rehabilitation Center, which was transferred to the University in 2013.  Crews began demolition of a portion of dilapidated buildings in June to make way for a new permanent greenhouse complex, while other buildings will be renovated into additional research, educational and office spaces. 
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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.