In this unprecedented time when all members of the West Liberty University community are unable to finish the 2019-20 academic school year the way that we typically would, it is still important to remember your home on the hilltop.  We currently might not know what the near future holds for our great University, but we do know what the recent preceding years have given to our hilltop home. 

          Actually, we weren’t considered a university until July of 2009.  At that point, we were known as a state college.  Both types of institutions are there to provide postsecondary level education for students.  The difference is that universities are usually much larger and provide the opportunity for graduate and doctorate degrees, while state colleges focus more on undergraduate degrees.

          That is exactly what WL did when the former state college become a University.  Since the transition, programs such as Athletic Training, Exercise Physiology, and Community Education have been created to give students more fields to choose from when they enroll as a West Liberty student.  “I really don’t think I would be at West Liberty if they didn’t offer the Exercise Physiology program,” junior Mallory Baker commented.  Baker knew that with the professional field that she wants to go into, she would have to get an undergraduate degree in a program such as the EP program.  “I liked a lot of things about West Liberty when I visited in high school, but having a program like that is what sold me,” she added.

          The transition from state college to university came during the tenure of Robin Capehart, who was president of the University from 2007 to 2015.  Our current president, Dr. Stephen Greiner, has continued the expansion of our learning environment by adding master programs such as Clinical Psychology and Dental Hygiene.  President Greiner planned on retiring at the end of June of this year but has recently agreed to stay with us until September to help ease the transition into new leadership during this COVID-19 pandemic.

            If you would like to learn more about our University’s history such as how we started as an academy, this history might be able to help.

          Please continue to be safe and cautious during these difficult times, and always remember that you have a home on the hilltop.