Founded in 1891, West Virginia State University is a public, land-grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution. The University, “a living laboratory of human relations,” is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Our mission is to meet higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.

The undergraduate education at the University offers comprehensive and distinguished baccalaureate and associate degree programs in business, liberal arts, professional studies, sciences, and social sciences. In addition, the University provides opportunities for graduate education.

West Virginia State University offers encouragement and education through flexible course offerings in traditional classrooms, in non-traditional education settings, and through distance learning technologies. With the goal of improving the quality of our students’ lives, as well as the quality of life for West Virginia’s citizens, the University forges mutually beneficial relationships with other educational institutions, businesses, cultural organizations, governmental agencies, and agricultural and extension partners.
The following values guide our decisions and behavior:

• academic excellence;
• academic freedom;
• advancement of knowledge through teaching, research, scholarship, creative endeavor, and community service;
• a core of student learning that includes effective communication, understanding and analysis of the interconnections of knowledge, and responsibility for one's own learning;
• lifelong growth, development, and achievement of our students;
• development of human capacities for integrity, compassion, and citizenship;
• our rich and diverse heritage;
• personal and professional development of our faculty and staff; and
• accountability through shared responsibility and continuous improvement.

West Virginia State University is a vibrant community in which those who work, teach, live, and learn do so in an environment that reflects the diversity of America. Our comprehensive campus, which includes the West Virginia State Community and Technical College, provides numerous educational opportunities for our students. We take great pride in our accomplishments and envision building upon associate degree programs, baccalaureate education, graduate offerings, and excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Approved by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission -
September 21, 2001

Modified by the West Virginia State University Board of Governors -
December 9, 2004