WVU Today
Creating space and time for students to discover their life paths, West Virginia University will open the nation’s first Purpose Institute on a college campus, President Gordon Gee announced at his annual State of the University address Monday at the College of Law’s Fitzsimmons Event Hall.
“We must pursue education, healthcare and prosperity with a renewed and focused determination to transform West Virginia University into a purpose-driven leader in higher education,” Gee said. “The center will help prospective students and employees, as well as current students, faculty, staff and alumni discover — or rediscover — their purpose and place in the world, and then help them chart the path forward.”
Gee said the move, in partnership with Spence Group, exemplifies WVU’s commitment to proving the value of higher education and to allowing students a way to make their marks in the world. The physical center, planned for the Morgantown campus, will elevate education, wellness and service to the campus and the community, he continued.
“We do our work not just for ourselves — but for others. That is different than other institutions — and I should know. Having that sense of purpose is special, “Gee said. “Now is our time to fully embrace that feeling and turn it to action.”
With an eye on university transformation from campus operations to academics and the student experience, Gee also announced the revamp of Project 168 that aims to focus students on the hours they spend outside the classroom during the week.
Student Life has created an innovative approach, which will launch in January, to add purpose to the student experience, Gee said, while bringing WVU’s core values to life.
“What a student learns outside the classroom is as important as what they learn inside the classroom,” he said. “Project 168 is a way to formally recognize and provide record of extracurricular efforts. With the help of a coach, each student can create a self-paced, co-curricular experience that will offer a minimum of 53 opportunities to engage in 10 content areas.”
WVU Engage will track participation, and when requirements for each competency area have been met, students will receive a co-curricular transcript printed on official WVU transcript paper that can be shared with potential employers and included in graduate and professional school applications. Students who complete the full curriculum will be invited to join a new honors organization, the 168 Society.
At a time when resources are limited, needs are great, expectations are high, and threats are significant, Gee told the audience that universities cannot afford complacency.
“That is why academic transformation, led by Provost Maryanne Reed, recognizes that there is a fundamental change occurring in higher education, and that we need to lead with purpose rather than follow,” Gee said.
Over the course of the last year, Gee said WVU:
- kicked off a partnership with Brad and Alys Smith to create Ascend WV, to attract remote workers to the Mountain State.
- launched a first-in-the-U.S. clinical trial at the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute using deep brain stimulation to combat opioid use disorder.
- unveiled LUCAS, another first-in-the-U.S. fully mobile unit that will travel throughout West Virginia to provide lung cancer screening in rural areas, at WVU Medicine.
- partnered with building trades and organizations to foster apprenticeship programs at WVU Potomac State College.
- supported the Mountaineer Mathematics Master Teachers program to enhance middle school and high school math education in West Virginia.
Looking ahead, Gee said the university will soon enter a new partnership agreement with the Alumni Association to enhance the alumni experience and increase opportunities for students and young alumni.
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