Blog

As my final Commencement as West Virginia University president approaches, I am reflecting on my journey as our graduates do. As ever, my thoughts often lead me down our state’s country roads.

Each summer as president, I have spent time traveling our state’s highways and byways. My statewide tours have been an annual tradition since I visited all 55 counties in 2014 and I will continue that tradition through the final days of my presidency.

West Virginia University is a fiercely land-grant university, a driving force for good, for change and for opportunity.

We are also West Virginia’s only Research 1 institution, holding the highest possible research ranking from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

In 1862, amid a devastating Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act, creating land-grant education and fueling the future growth of our republic.

Land-grant education grew from the radical new idea of opening higher education to the masses and using university-created knowledge to improve citizens’ lives.

At the beginning of a new year, most people find themselves looking forward and resolving to change their habits to improve their future. 

In the final year of my four-plus decades as a university president, I find myself pondering the future of West Virginia University and American higher education generally. 

During the holiday season, we often think about the people who have shaped our lives. We gather to celebrate with some of them, while others loom large in our memories.

From family members and teachers to colleagues and friends, so many people inspire and encourage us to be our best selves.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what is most important. As I spend time with my family this year, I will have much to be grateful for, including the privilege of serving as president of West Virginia University for the past decade.

Spending time with my grandchildren will also turn my thoughts to the future. A Gallup survey last year found a growing number of Americans worry whether today’s youth can expect a high quality of life.

(WVU President Gordon Gee delivered the following prepared remarks in his annual State of the University address on Monday, Oct. 14.)

Today, after more than a decade as president, I have come to address the state of West Virginia University for a final time.

As a land-grant institution, West Virginia University’s purpose is to help people when it matters most. And nothing our university does has a more powerful and direct impact on people than the lifesaving care our health care professionals provide.

Last month kicked off the first day of classes and the beginning of West Virginia University’s fall semester. The start of a school year always represents potential. There is a sense of excitement in the air. Optimism is contagious. There are numerous opportunities to make new friends, try different experiences and continue to develop as a person.

For the last ten years, I have gone on county tours to visit our state’s 55 counties. I believe our campus stretches beyond the physical borders of Morgantown, Beckley or Keyser. Our campus encompasses the entire state, and nothing excites me more than to visit the communities that are proud to call us their flagship university. Alongside graduation and beating Pitt: it is one of those events that never gets old.