Contact: Kimberly Osborne (304) 766-3363 kosborne@wvstateu.edu

INSTITUTE, W.Va. – West Virginia State University (WVSU) will receive grant funds totalling nearly $1.8 million from the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) for projects addressing agricultural research and healthy families.
“Each day, through research, public service and economic development, West Virginia State University students, faculty, researchers and staff work together to fulfill our mission of supporting our communities and fellow West Virginians, and with these funds we can further our commitment, improve the quality of life in the region and state, and make a difference with research and service at the epicenter of our efforts,” WVSU President Brian O. Hemphill said.
WVSU’s awards total approximately $1.79 million, the maximum amount of funds eligible in the USDA’s competitive grant program.
“To receive this level of funding speaks volumes about the talented research and teaching faculty at State,” said Dr. Orlando F. McMeans, Vice President for Research and Public Service. “This is not only the maximum amount of funding a university can receive, it’s also the most WVSU has received in an award cycle.” WVSU is one of 19 institutions eligible to compete in the program, exclusive to the nation’s 1890 land-grant universities. The monies fund four proposed research, teaching and extension projects. Three of the projects deal with improving food security in West Virginia through research and teaching. Two projects focus on improving crop quality for plant breeding and disease-resistant traits in watermelons. Another seeks to develop an educational agriculture incubator in southern West Virginia and a fourth focuses on providing tools and education to grandparents who provide custodial care to their grandchildren. Launched in 1990, the 1890 Institution Teaching and Research Capacity Building Grants Program strengthens the linkages among the 1890 institutions, other colleges and universities, USDA and private industry, while improving the quality of academic and research programs at the 1890 institutions. The program focuses on advancing cultural diversity in the scientific and professional workforce by attracting and educating more students from underrepresented groups. It is authorized by section 1417 (b)(4) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching Policy Act of 1977.
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