West Virginia’s 1862 Land-Grant Institution: West Virginia University
https://www.wvu.edu @WestVirginiaU
Founded in 1867 as the Agricultural College of West Virginia. In 1868, West Virginia lawmakers renamed the school West Virginia University. The campus was built on the grounds of three former academies, the Monongalia Academy of 1814, the Morgantown Female Academy of 1831, and Woodburn Female Seminary of 1858. The limited amount of space available to the university prompted the purchase of land for the Evansdale and Medical campuses that exist two miles north of the original campus. The geographical divide among the campuses resulted in the opening of the Personal Rapid Transit system in 1973, the world’s first automated rapid transit system.
President: E. Gordon Gee became the president of West Virginia University for the second time in 2014. His first presidency at WVU began in 1981 and ran through 1985. Gee has held more university presidencies than any other American. His land-grant credentials are impressive, having served as president two times both at WVU and The Ohio State University, and he is the co-author of the 2018 book Land-Grant Universities for the Future: Higher Education for the Public Good. @gordongee
West Virginia’s 1890 Land-Grant Institution: West Virginia State University
http://www.wvstateu.edu @WVStateU
The school was established as the West Virginia Colored Institute in 1891, providing vocational training and teacher preparation for segregated public schools. In 1915, it became the West Virginia Collegiate Institute and began to offer college degrees. In 1929, the school’s name was changed to West Virginia State College. In 2004, the school’s name was changed again to West Virginia State University.
President: Anthony L. Jenkins became president of West Virginia State University in 2016. The land-grant credentials of President Jenkins include a doctorate from the land-grant institution Virginia Tech University and his service as vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at the land-grant institution University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Dr. Jenkins also served in a variety of administrative roles at Virginia Tech during and following his doctoral program pursuits. @JenkinsWVSU11
