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Just about everyone in West Virginia is familiar with ongoing population loss, partly attributed to young people leaving the state for better jobs, better opportunities and a broader, richer quality of life.
Glenville State University, the “Lighthouse on the Hill” in Gilmer County, was founded in 1872.
Courtesy photo
But there's an exodus within the exodus.
A small college, like Glenville State University, relies heavily on regional recruitment — meaning central West Virginia — for students. Unfortunately for Glenville State, a lot of those college-bound students in the immediate area go to West Virginia University, Fairmont State or Marshall, and they don't return to their home community.
The university is looking to change that, Glenville State President Mark Manchin said in an interview with the Gazette-Mail this week, by growing its program offerings, including new post-graduate degrees.
But the big shift for the university, which has an enrollment of about 1,600 students, comes in the form of emerging facilities and degrees focusing on health care. And it's not just about growing enrollment, Manchin said, but providing more opportunities for students while also establishing resources for the community.
"Any indicator of quality of life comes down to quality health care," Manchin said. "If you don't have that, you have nothing else."
Honestly, the timing couldn't be better. West Virginia is a rural state, and access to health care services has always been an issue, but it's going to become even more of a problem once the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cuts billions of Medicaid dollars many West Virginians are dependent on for health care, takes effect.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey is trying to offset the losses with his Rural Health Care Transformation program. While the money appropriated so far doesn't come close to making up for what West Virginia stands to lose, it does provide opportunities for growth in places like Glenville.
Glenville State is perhaps best known for producing educators, something Manchin said the school will continue to do, but the focus on health care degrees and facilities that will teach students, and provide services for local residents, looks to be a win for the university and the community.
GSU already offers eight concentrations in its health sciences major, an undergrad, four-year degree program. The university also is hoping to establish an associate of science degree program for registered nurses, if it can get approval from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. ASN programs take about two years to complete, getting registered nurses into the workforce quicker with less expense to the student. It seems a logical step, considering West Virginia's nursing shortage.
Regardless, big things are happening at this small school in the heart of the Mountain State, and everyone stands to gain from it.
