By Stephen Smoot
With new administrations still getting settled in at both West Virginia University and Potomac State College of West Virginia University, representatives from both institutions held a meeting in Keyser last week to focus on constructing connections between the schools’ broader Potomac Highlands base and the academic facilities, people, projects, and programs.
One of the elements geared toward retaining as many students as possible in the community post graduation.
It opened with a welcome from A. J. Root, director of the Mineral County Health Department, which hosted the event. Margaret Miltenberger, West Virginia University Extension agent for Mineral County joined to welcome attendees as well.
Kristy Wood-Turner, Assistant Dean in Charge of Community Engagement, also Director for the Center for Community Engagement presented to attendees. Whitney Glotfelty, Director of Community Based Learning, joined her. Together they mixed a visual presentation with question and answer, discussion, and group activity sessions.
“We love talking to you guys,” said Wood-Turner, who added “you are the reason why we do the things we do.” Attendees included Dinah Courrier, retired long-time educator and administrator at Potomac State, Kevin Clark, executive director of the Mineral County Economic Development Authority, Matt Ravenscroft with Mineral County Schools, Joanie Rice, Mineral County Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director, Ed McDonald from the Mineral County Historical Society, Linda Coyle with the American Chestnut Foundation, and other community advocates.
Courrier shared that “I’m a retired Potomac State faculty member and administrator for 32 years. I loved what I did. I could not have had a job I loved more.” She went on to add that “I love . . . giving students the support they need while they are here.”
Discussion opened with introductions and also brief articulations of ideas for connection. Matt Ravenscroft spoke of the Mineral County Technical Center, which he described as “the oldest in the state.” He stated that “the physical plant is okay,” but that the educational equipment requires upgrades for 21st century education.
“Our goal is to build a new one soon.” he remarked.
Coyle spoke of how Potomac State College’s agriculture department and greenhouses once partnered effectively with the American Chestnut Foundation, a group experimenting with disease-resistant strains of one of the former dominant tree species in Appalachian forests. She related how the project grew seedlings on campus in Morgantown, then let them mature in greenhouses at Potomac State, but that the conditions of those facilities in Keyser had deteriorated.
McDonald shared information about both the Historical Society and also a community based non profit radio station that had operated for Keyser for nearly a decade.
The crux of the meeting lay in creating the groundwork for community engagement partnerships that could expand connections between the community and academic facilities.
Part of this would push faculty to work in the community more. According to the presentation, this would bring benefits such as “curriculum becomes more engaging and relevant through experimental learning that demonstrates practical application of academic content.” It also is expected to build connections for community-based research and assisting with local issues.
The program creates “structured relationships” with the community, “training” for development, and “sustainable commitment” that is mutually supportive instead of WVU taking an “extractive” approach.
Course projects, volunteer, events, and internships are expected to result as well.
Over the past year, West Virginia University has sallied forth on a number of community benefit fronts that also enhance student learning opportunities. Last week, WVU’s Brownfields, Abandoned, and Dilapidated, or BAD, Buildings project met with the Town of Franklin Council in Pendleton County to discuss downtown revitalization projects.
Both the Town of Franklin and Pendleton County Commission have agreed to work with West Virginia University on a economic development planning document in the past year as well. The WVU Law Clinic advises that project.
Interestingly, some of these projects mirror somewhat the ongoing work of Region Eight Economic Planning and Development. They recently committed to a downtown revitalization project much like BAD Buildings, but through the Appalachian Regional Commission’s ARISE project.
The community outreach meeting also, in many ways, resembled the annual process conducted by all State regional planning and development councils in conducting SWOT exercises with regional stakeholders.
While rarely do representatives from statewide or regional higher education institutions attend regular Region Eight meetings for program information gathering or sharing, WVU researchers have provided support for Region Eight programming. In Regions Eight and Nine specifically, the planning and development councils serve as the main hub for local governments and community organizations to accomplish goals and missions, as well as being information resources for projects big and small.
With the mammoth size of West Virginia University and its reach, it would be reasonable to expect that not all of their different operations are aware of each other, even in similar fields.
When asked, Turner-Wood was not aware of the similarity in some of the programs between WVU endeavors in community outreach and support and Region Eight’s work, but answered that it means their staff still has much to do forging connections locally and that they were eager to get that done .
