Message from President W. Franklin Evans

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WLU Media Relations

President W. Franklin Evans

Good afternoon,

I am grateful to the West Liberty Board of Governors for its support of my leadership as president of this great institution. I have expressed regret for the mistakes that I have made and am taking this opportunity to once again apologize to the university community. Please note that I am unable to address any specificities pertaining to issues handled by the board pertaining to me as they are personnel matters. With that in mind, I am determined to move forward and humbly ask for the West Liberty family to join me in doing so.

As president of WLU, along with my executive cabinet, we are working collaboratively and collectively with faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners to reunite and emerge even stronger. I have a great responsibility as the Chief Executive Officer of WLU to lead this institution to its next level of greatness. There are decisions that will be made that might not be popular, but those decisions will be made in the best interest of the university and the students we serve. We will encounter challenges, but with focus and a single-mindedness on achieving the vision of this university, we can move forward. And it is my resolve that West Liberty comes out even better than imagined.

Although the semester is quickly drawing to an end, there are a lot of work and activities still taking place on the Hilltop; including:

– Specialized accreditation of our Speech-Language Pathology program

– A re-accreditation visit of our nursing degree program

– Intent to plan and offer a Bachelor of Science in Data Science degree

– The exploration of the university’s offering its first doctoral degree in education

– Planning the construction of our new Aquatic Conservation Center

– The establishment of co-op for students with our local business partners

– Partnerships with other higher education institutions

– Fall 2021 Commencement is a month away

– The Winter season for athletics has begun

I am here, physically here on campus, and I continue to avail myself to others. So, call me, drop by — and come see the amazing things that are happening at West Liberty University!

I see the dawning of an institution where everyone is valued, respected, and appreciated for the uniqueness they bring to this family. This is West Liberty University.