UVA Wise chancellor says new strategic plan maintains college's liberal arts role, adapts to new demands

WISE — As UVA Wise implements its latest strategic plan, Chancellor Donna P. Henry says the college will maintain its seven-decade mission as a liberal arts school.The eight-year Your College for a Lifetime plan sets out a five-pillar approach to student recruitment and retention; faculty recruitment, development and retention; aligning program offerings with student and regional demand; "reimagining" core educational requirements; and updating various systems policies and procedures.Henry said the college has implemented two programs within the past three years aimed at enrollment growth and geographic reach.In March 2019, the college got General Assembly authorization to offer in-state tuition to students across the Appalachian Regional Commission region of West Virginia and parts of 11 more eastern and southern Appalachian states from New York to Mississippi.The Within Reach program began in November 2019, covering tuition and fee costs for students of families with an income of $40,000 or less for full-time Virginia in-state students seeking a degree.While UVA Wise has seen a slight decline in part-time student enrollment over the past two years, Henry said full-time enrollment has climbed despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. She credited Within Reach and the ARC tuition initiative for enabling that increase and helping prepare the college for the strategic plan.UVA Wise has been primarily a liberal arts college since its 1954 founding, Henry said, and students can expect a core curriculum to develop their writing, communications and critical thinking skills."No matter the major, it will be better preparation for graduate school or a professional career," Henry added.The 2019 innovate2eleVAte program, which saw all full-time students receiving iPads, helped the college get through a pandemic lockdown in 2020, and Henry said that program will remain important by integrating technology access into all academic fields.Demand for degree programs has seen UVA Wise establish a cybersecurity program in recent years, and Henry said the college's look at entering the graduate degree field starts in the fall of 2022 with a joint nursing program with the University of Virginia.Henry said UVA Wise is working with the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia on what needs to be done for standalone graduate programs. While a graduate education program built upon the existing teaching program has been suggested in recent years, Henry said two other areas show promise."There is great support in the region for a graduate management program," Henry said. "A counseling- psychology program also would dovetail with a growing demand for mental health services in the region."On the undergraduate side, Henry said UVA Wise faculty are looking at ways to offer data analytics to meet business and health care sector needs.Henry said the strategic plan also depends on the current 2015 master plan and the ongoing capital campaign to raise the total college endowment by $100 million in the next four years. Under the master plan, the former college library — now Don R. Pippin & John C. Wyllie Hall — starts an 18-month renovation in 2022 to accommodate the undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Initial planning has also started on an anticipated academic building between the Sandridge Science Center, Darden and Zehmer halls.The strategic plan's first year coincides with a new Virginia governor and a politically split General Assembly, but Henry said the region's legislative delegation appears united on the college's value and role in Southwest Virginia."They are building solid relationships," Henry said of the region's legislators. "There is also a strong level of funding for higher education in the budget, and college and university presidents are advocating for funding. I believe that will continue."The strategic plan also calls for strong connections with UVA Wise's surrounding communities."UVA Wise and (Wise) really need to be connected," Henry said. "I think the relationships we have with the town and county have always been important, and we have a Vibrant Communities group to have those conversations with our communities."