West Liberty University
Established as West Liberty Academy on March 30, 1837 (26 years before the state was admitted to the Union) under the guidance of Reverend Nathan Shotwell, it was created to respond to the need for higher educational opportunities west of the Appalachian ridge. The institution, originally a normal school, or teachers college, is named for the town in which it is located. West Liberty was so named in the late 18th Century as the westernmost point of the new liberty provided through the Declaration of Independence. Under the direction of Dr. Paul N. Elbin (at age 30, the youngest president of a four-year college in the U.S.), the West Liberty Academy transitioned to West Liberty State Teachers College and eventually West Liberty State College. Under Elbin's 35-year leadership, the college developed a full curriculum, faculty, staff, student services, and activities including music and theatre. West Liberty was approved to become a university by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission in November 2008. The West Liberty Board of Governors voted to change to West Liberty University on May 3, 2009. The bulk of its student body comes from the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, eastern Ohio, and western Pennsylvania. After Robin Capehart's tenure as first president of West Liberty University and a short interim presidency by the much-admired Dr. John McCullough, Dr. Stephen Greiner was selected unanimously on October 29, 2015 as president. Since then, the university has added eight graduate programs and new athletic facilities and has increased enrollment significantly. In 1938, West Liberty Teacher's College began offering courses in Business and Commerce – a two-year Secretarial Studies program and a four-year Business education degree. By 1963, the college had established a full Department of Business Administration offering curricula in accounting, management and marketing to 338 business students. It is accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education IACBE and offers a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). The College is divided into two departments – the Department of Journalism, Communication Studies and Visual Arts and the Department of Music and Theater. The West Liberty University Media Arts Center opened in November 2006. The 5 million dollar facility includes: a recording studio, a television control, engineering core, and studio, where studio newscasts, television shows and special televised events take place. The building is also furnished with an editing classroom, 3D Audio voice-over room, and a multi-purpose classroom. WLTV-14 (The campus's community television station) airs on Comcast Cable in Hancock, Ohio and Marshall Counties in West Virginia. The school's community television station began in August 2007, but the television program has been on-going since 1990. The College of Liberal Arts serves as the intellectual heart of the University, with courses provided by this college being part of every student's program of study regardless of their major. The college is divided into two distinct administrative units: the Department of Humanities and the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. The Department of Humanities includes studies in English Literature, Comics Studies, Rhetoric and Writing, English Education, Foreign Language, and Philosophy. The Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences includes studies in Criminal Justice, Geography, History, Interdisciplinary Pre-Law, International Studies, Political Science, Social Studies Education, Social Work, Sociology, and Appalachian Studies. The College of Education and Human Performance is divided into two departments: the Department of Professional Education and the Department of Health and Human Performance. The College of Sciences at West Liberty is divided into five Departments: Physical Sciences and Mathematics (Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics), Biological Sciences, Health Sciences (Dental Hygiene, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Sciences, and Speech Pathology and Audiology), Psychology, and Physician Assistant Studies. Greater than 99% of College of Science students applying for post-graduate programs have been accepted into their program of choice. Nationally accredited programs include Dental Hygiene, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Speech Pathology and Audiology and the new M.S. in Physician Studies West Liberty University offers one of the few comprehensive dental hygiene programs in the Ohio Valley. It was also one of the first colleges in the nation to offer such a program. The program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission of Dental Accreditation. The program was opened in September, 1938, and graduated its first class in 1940. Since then about 2,345 students have graduated from the program. The dental hygiene students have the opportunity to enroll for a professional program ending with an Associate of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene or a professional program ending with a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. The Dental Hygiene office offers dental cleaning services for any member of the community at affordable rates. The facility features the latest in dental technology and underwent a renovation in 2000. The program, which was mostly female dominated, is graduating more and more male students each year. The $20 million 70,000 sq.ft. Health Sciences Building was dedicated and opened on May 3, 2014. The Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing, Physician Assistant Studies Master's Program, Speech Pathology and Audiology, and Chemistry programs are located in the new building. West Liberty University offers 9 organizations made up of fraternities and sororities, 18 academic and professional organizations, 10 honoraries, 6 sports and recreational clubs, 6 religiously affiliated groups and 23 special interest groups. West Liberty University has nine Greek organizations on campus. The national fraternities and sororities include Phi Delta Theta, Alpha Xi Delta and Chi Omega. The remaining organizations are local sororities and fraternities, including the sororities Delta Theta Kappa, Lambda Psi Sigma and Beta Rho Epsilon. Fraternities on campus are Chi Nu, Kappa Delta Kappa, and Beta Theta Gamma. Former fraternities and sororities include Delta Chi, Theta Xi, Kappa Delta Rho, Phi Sigma Kappa, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Phi Sigma, Delta Zeta Pi, and Delta Tau Chi. West Liberty University's Intercollegiate Athletics Program is an integral part of the institution's total educational mission. Close to nineteen men's and women's sports are offered: football, women's volleyball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, wrestling, women's softball, men's baseball, men's and women's track, men's and women's golf, women's soccer acrobatic and tumbling and in the Fall of 2019 men's soccer. There is also a coed cheerleading squad. The college is a member of NCAA Division II and formerly belonged to the 16-member West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). In June 2012, it was one of nine WVIAC members that announced plans to leave the conference after the 2012–13 school year to start a new Division II league. Two months later, the new league was unveiled as the Mountain East Conference, scheduled to begin play in 2013–14 with West Liberty as one of its 12 charter members. There are seven residence halls on campus. There is a physical education club for students majoring in physical education, and an intramural program covering activities such as basketball, volleyball, softball, tennis, swimming, racquetball, volleyball, ping pong, billiards, flag football, aerobics, euchre, and 3-on-3 basketball. This program is operated by the office of the Vice President of Student Affairs. The West Liberty University Alumni Association was founded in June 1877 with 103 members. From its beginning, the growth and development of the Alumni Association has been dedicated to promoting the interests of West Liberty University and strengthening the loyalty of and fostering support among its graduates, former students, and friends. The association serves as the liaison between the alumni of West Liberty University and its administration, staff, faculty, students, and friends. Today, the Alumni Association represents nearly 20,000 alumni and continues to foster a spirit of unity and fellowship through communications, development, publicity, special events, recruiting, and career exploration. The West Liberty University Alumni Association Board of Directors instituted a project in 1990 to demonstrate to current students, visitors, and friends that the college has some very successful graduates. This project, known as the "Alumni Wall of Honor," is a dramatic way to honor some of the college's most distinguished alumni and display pride in the accomplishments of its graduates. The concept was suggested by then Associate Professor of Physics Robert W. Schramm, who is a 1958 graduate of the college and a 2002 Alumni Wall of Honor inductee. The Alumni Wall of Honor is housed in the south end of the Union known as the Alumni Lounge. First occupied in 1936 and serving as the residence for the Presidents of West Liberty University until 1997, Liberty Oaks Alumni House Bed & Breakfast is a stately mansion located on the beautiful West Liberty campus. Alumni Park was home to three black granite pyramids displaying the engraved names of alumni and friends of West Liberty University. Alumni Park was located in the "heart" of the campus – just outside Main Hall and adjacent to the Union, at the edge of the 'quad'. In the summer of 2017, these structures were removed due to deterioration. A replacement wall of alumni and friends is expected to be erected within the breezeway of Main Hall.
History
West Liberty University (WLU) is a public university in West Liberty, West Virginia. It is West Virginia's oldest institution of higher education.