FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 22, 2022
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鶹ƵState University
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CHARLESTON, WV – On Tuesday, February 22, 鶹ƵState College students, staff, and faculty gathered at the West Virginia State Capitol for 鶹ƵState Day at the Legislature. By the time they departed the statehouse, the school had a new designation: 鶹ƵState University.
Representatives were on hand from each academic department, Alumni Relations, and Athletics to share information and answer questions. A special display table featuring historic photographs and artifacts from the institutional archive was also part of the setup.
Those assembled from 鶹ƵState visited the House of Delegates and Senate Chambers for special recognitions. During the day’s session, Delegates took up House Bill 4264, which changes the designation of the institution from 鶹ƵState College to 鶹ƵState University. The bill, which was on its third reading, passed the House unanimously. The action was met with uproarious applause from the gallery.
The bill was then communicated to the Senate for immediate consideration. It also passed unanimously in that chamber.
“What a great day it is to be a 鶹ƵState University Pioneer,” said 鶹ƵState President, Dr. Mark A. Manchin. “The legislative actions taken by our lawmakers today mark a significant milestone in the trajectory of our institution. In the fall our students will be able to enroll in Master’s-level courses in education and, by this time next year, we hope to have six graduate courses. That is of course in addition to our existing undergraduate programs.”
The first graduate-level program offered at 鶹ƵState will be the Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction (MACI). The program will offer advanced education opportunities for teachers and educators who have already earned a bachelor’s degree in education and have a teaching license or certificate of instruction. The coursework will be fully online. The MACI program will include 30 semester hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Courses will be offered every 7.5 weeks in the fall and spring with a total of four terms between fall and spring and one full term in summer.
“I appreciate everyone who came to the Capitol today to celebrate this great occasion with us…I saw so many of our current students, faculty, and staff alongside members of our Board of Governors, Foundation Board, Alumni Council, our generous donors, community members, and of course our elected representatives. To step back and realize that we were all bearing witness to history being made is really quite something,” Manchin added.