Since 1867, West Virginia University has embraced a mission of providing excellence in teaching, research, and service. With over 26,000 students on its main campus (34,000 statewide), an endowment of more than $362 million, and a focus on increasing the number of endowed professorships and chairs, WVU exemplifies the full potential of a land-grant institution.

Academic Excellence

A tradition of outstanding academic achievement includes 25 Rhodes Scholars, 26 Goldwater Scholars, and 16 Truman Scholars. Many academic programs have job placement rates at or near 100%. The University includes 14 schools and colleges and currently offers 171 majors at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree levels. There are four professional schools: dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and the state's only law school. Over 165,000 alumni have been prepared for success.

The academic profile of WVU students continues to grow stronger. The 2004 freshman class had an average ACT composite score of 23 and an SAT combined average of 1072, both well above the national average. Students come to WVU from all US states and from 80 countries around the world. A new General Education Curriculum focused on inquiry-based, multidisciplinary learning illustrates WVU's commitment to provide its students with the ability to reason clearly, communicate effectively, and contribute to society.

A new emphasis on cross-disciplinary research and teaching has resulted in a dynamic community of WVU scholars. Internationally respected programs in physics, engineering, journalism, psychology, forensics and biometrics, and political science (to name just a few) attract faculty who flourish in the classroom, the lab, and as mentors. Both undergraduate and graduate students are involved with research projects.

A Major Research Center

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching placed WVU in the Doctoral Research Extensive Classification—one of only 151 in the nation. WVU faculty received over $150 million in sponsored contracts and grants in 2004-05. Research strengths include forensics/biometrics, biotechnology, energy, nano/information technologies, cancer research, neurosciences, and homeland security. There are more than 60 affiliated centers/institutes, including the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, the only major nonprofit in the world focused on human memory. A new 88-acre research park is under development.

World's First Forensic Identification Program

WVU offers the world's first university degree program in forensic identification, which was developed in conjunction with the FBI. Instructors include detectives, attorneys, and FBI employees. Two “crime houses” host mock crimes: students investigate staged murders, kidnappings, and robberies to study fingerprinting, blood spatter analysis, and other investigative procedures.

A Student-Centered Focus

A student-centered experience begins with Operation Jump-Start, where faculty live side-by-side with students in the residence halls, serving as teachers and mentors. WVUp All Night is an award-winning initiative that provides free food, fun, and socializing on weekends. The Mountaineer Parents Club connects over 13,000 WVU families, and a parent advocate answers a toll-free helpline.

WVU's strengths also include cutting-edge facilities: a $36-million Downtown Library Complex and a new Life Sciences Building. The popular Student Recreation Center includes multiple sports courts, pools, and a 50-foot indoor climbing wall. Over $700 million has been invested in new construction and renovation recently, and two new residence halls are being built.

It is an exciting time to be a student or a faculty member at West Virginia University. As WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. states, "Our excellence is driven by our commitment to a highly qualified faculty that values continual innovation in all we do."