Education

West Virginia University and the Virginia Community College System have a six-year agreement to create guaranteed admission pathways and seamless credit transfer, opening more routes for Virginia students to pursue four-year degrees at WVU.

A West Virginia University robotics student has developed an autonomous navigation system that helps robots traverse hiking trails. Camden Reed’s research earned recognition as a Best Paper Application Finalist at a prestigious international robotics conference.

The Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center at Fairmont State University has two upcoming holiday events featuring festive songs, stories and dancing. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Woodburn Hall lighting ceremony returns December 2 after more than a decade. “Woodburn will shine once again, bringing generations of Mountaineers together in the warm glow of tradition,” WVU President Michael T. Benson said.

West Virginia University’s Center for Community Engagement launched its new Student Organization Service program this fall, connecting student groups with community partners for sustained volunteer efforts rather than one-time projects.

WVU Potomac State College will renovate Science Hall’s biology and chemistry laboratories in a $4.9 million project funded by state grants, WVU Medicine and university funds. Construction aims to be completed before fall 2026.

Several speakers urged the Upshur County Board of Education to keep Rock Cave Elementary open during Tuesday’s regular meeting. A board of state-appointed officials will vote on the closure on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

George Yanchak has served as director of the WVU Hub since it opened in November 2015. The Hub has served more than 100,000 walk-ins, answered more than 840,000 phone calls and replied to more than 200,000 emails.

One after another, dozens of speakers stepped to the podium for nearly four hours Thursday night with the same message for state officials: Don’t close our school. The community rallied, teachers pushed back, students showed what’s at stake. The vote comes November 20.

A capstone project by WVU engineering alum Michael Barchett evolved into the Critical Infrastructure Security Lab, a scaled PRT and campus model where students research cybersecurity, AI, machine learning and industrial automation.

West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Michele L. Blatt has been elected to the Council of Chief State School Officers Board of Directors. The announcement was made during the organization’s annual Policy Forum in Houston, Texas.

West Virginia University launched WVU Cyber to unite academia, government and industry against growing cyber threats, bolster workforce development and support regional economic resilience. The initiative spans degrees, research and community outreach.