West Virginia State University (WVSU) has been honored with alumni engagement, student retention and student research participation awards during the Association for Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU) annual conference in Orlando, Fla.
WVSU received the awards Monday, Nov. 3, during the second annual 1890 Land-Grant Universities Teaching, Research and Innovation Awards. State took first place in two categories: Alumni Engagement (Amount) and Exemplary Alumni. The Alumni Engagement (Amount) Award is presented to a university that has the largest increase in the amount of donations from alumni over the previous year; whereas the Exemplary Alumni Award recognizes a university that has the single largest donation from an alumnus during the previous academic year. WVSU also received second place honors in the Alumni Engagement (Number) Award which recognizes the university that has the largest increase in the number of donations to the university from alumni during a year’s time.
“West Virginia State University holds a special place in the hearts of our alumni and it shows through their commitment to the University, our current students and collective goals,” WVSU President Brian O. Hemphill said. “I’m truly thankful for our alums as their support is essential to each individual student finding his or her passion and achieving a quality education at State.”
“Alumni are a tremendous source of strength for West Virginia State University, and they have stepped up in unprecedented numbers to support the University’s initiatives in the past year,” said Patricia J. Schumann, Vice President for University Advancement and President of the WVSU Foundation. “It is exciting to see alumni embrace our future with as much passion as they celebrate our heritage.”
The University also received second-place honors in the Retention Award category, citing an increase in student retention from the previous year. In addition, WVSU received second-place honors for the Experiential Student Learning Award which recognizes large increases in undergraduate students participating in research and internships. WVSU boasts a 90 percent increase in students participating in research and internships in one year’s time.
WVSU is one of 19 land-grant universities founded by the Second Morrill Act of 1890 that were eligible to compete in the awards ceremony. The 1890 Land-Grant Universities Teaching, Research and Innovation Awards were created to recognize the advances in learning, research and innovation among the nation’s 1890 Land-Grant Universities.
The APLU is a research, policy and advocacy organization representing 219 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems and related organizations. Founded in 1887, APLU is the nation’s oldest higher education association with member institutions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories.
