INSTITUTE, W.Va. -- John Farris, Vice President and General Manager of Nucor Steel West Virginia, has been named to the West Virginia State University (WVSU) Board of Visitors.
A native of Murray, Kentucky, Farris has spent three decades working for Nucor Corporation, America’s largest steel producer and the largest recycler of any type of material in North America. Farris began his career with Nucor in 1992 as an electrician at the company’s sheet steel facility outside of Blytheville, Arkansas. In 2005, he was promoted to serve as general manager of Nucor’s bar mill in l Marion, Ohio, and was elected as a vice president of Nucor the following year. He subsequently served as vice president and general manager at the Nucor Steel Kankakee, Inc. (Illinois) and Nucor Steel - Texas bar mill.
Farris spent the last seven years as vice president and general manager of Nucor Steel Gallatin LLC, a sheet mill in Ghent, Kentucky, before being selected to run Nucor’s new West Virginia steel mill which will be located in Mason County. Announced in January, the new $2.7 billion state-of-the-art sheet steel mill is the largest capital investment in Nucor’s history, and it is also the largest single investment in the history of the State of West Virginia.
“I am honored to be named to the WVSU Board of Visitors. For many years, Nucor has built strong partnerships with universities and colleges focused on STEM education in order to develop the degrees that are needed for advanced steelmaking technology, and to help the next generation of young engineers find their passion in the metals industry. I look forward to working with the WVSU Board of Visitors to enhance this already strong university,” Farris said.
Formed in 2021, the WVSU Board of Visitors is a volunteer organization designed to assist the university in maintaining and enhancing its quality and standing in the region and the nation.
Members serve as advocates, ambassadors and advisors who assist in resource development for the continued enhancement and support of the university.
The board meets twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. Board members are appointed by the president of the university to three-year terms.
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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.