West Liberty University (WLU) is a public university in West Liberty, West Virginia, United States. Located in the state's Northern Panhandle, it was established as an academy in 1837 and is the oldest university in West Virginia. It offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and graduate programs and had an enrollment of approximately 2,500 students in 2022. The West Liberty Board of Governors voted to change to West Liberty University on May 3, 2009. The bulk of its student body comes from the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, eastern Ohio, and western Pennsylvania.

Tim Borchers was appointed as the university's 38th president on May 12, 2023, by the West Liberty University Board of Governors. He assumed his role on July 1, 2023.

Presidents

Presidents of the institution have included:

  • Nathan Shotwell, 1838-1854
  • A. F. Ross, 1857-1861
  • James Tyler Bradbury, 1862-1863
  • John Allen Brown, 1864-1867
  • John Creighton Frazier, 1867-1870
  • F. H. Crago, 1870-1873
  • James E. Morrow, 1873-1875
  • J. Clinton Gwynne, 1875-1879
  • Robert McPheeters, 1879-1881
  • Daniel T. Williams, 1881-1884
  • J. A. Cox, 1884-1886
  • Robert Allen Armstrong, 1886-1893
  • J. N. Deahl, 1893-1898
  • W. B. Cutright, 1898-1899
  • J. M. Skinner, 1899-1901
  • W. L. McCowan, 1901-1903
  • Lorain Fortney, 1903-1908
  • John C. Shaw, 1908-1919
  • Clinton T. Bogus (acting), 1919-1920
  • Howard J. McGinnis, 1920-1925
  • Earl C. Bowman (acting), 1925-1926
  • John S. Bonar, 1926-1933
  • John C. Shreve, 1933-1935
  • Paul N. Elbin, 1935-1970
  • James L. Chapman, 1970-1984
  • Lawrence H. Talley (interim), 1984
  • Clyde D. Campbell, 1984-1995
  • Donald C. Darnton (interim), 1995-1996
  • Ronald M. Zaccari, 1996-2001
  • John P. McCullough (interim), 2001
  • Richard H. Owens, 2002-2005
  • John P. McCullough (interim), 2005-2007
  • Robin C. Capehart, 2007-2015
  • John P. McCullough (interim), 2015
  • Stephen G. Greiner, 2016-2020
  • W. Franklin Evans, 2021-2022
  • Cathy Monteroso (interim), 2023
  • Timothy A. Borchers, 2023-present

Campus

thumb|[[Shotwell Hall, West Liberty State College|Shotwell Hall]]

thumb|[[Shaw Hall]]

Main Hall is the university's central academic building, which contains the Gary E. West College of Business, the College of Education and Human Performance, and several original campus wings named for early West Liberty families. The Paul N. Elbin Library provides extensive academic resources across three floors, including special collections, technology-equipped study areas, and the Humanities Department. Arnett Hall of Natural Sciences houses biology and chemistry labs, and a greenhouse. College Hall includes the 450-seat Helen Pierce Elbin Auditorium and music studios. The Hall of Fine Arts, along with the Media Arts Center, serves as the creative hub for the Department of Arts and Communications, offering performance spaces and specialized labs.

Student life and university operations are centered around the College Union, which offers dining, retail, media outlets, and student services. Shaw Hall, a former residence hall now on the National Register of Historic Places, houses administrative offices for admissions and student life. Shotwell Hall, also a historic site, is home to the international and graduate studies offices. Physical Sciences and Mathematics (Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics), Biological Sciences, Health Sciences (Dental Hygiene, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Sciences, and Speech Pathology and Audiology), Psychology, and Physician Assistant Studies.

Dental hygiene

West Liberty University offers one of the few comprehensive dental hygiene programs in the Ohio Valley. It was also one of the first colleges in the nation to offer such a program. The program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission of Dental Accreditation. The program was opened in September 1938, and graduated its first class in 1940. Since then, about 2,345 students have graduated from the program. The dental hygiene students have the opportunity to enroll for a professional program ending with an Associate of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene or a professional program ending with a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. The Dental Hygiene office offers dental cleaning services for any member of the community at affordable rates.

Campbell Hall of Health Sciences

The $20 million, 70,000 sq.ft. Health Sciences Building was dedicated and opened on May 3, 2014. The Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing, Physician Assistant Studies Master's Program, Speech Pathology and Audiology, and Chemistry programs are located in the new building, along with the Behavioral Health Clinic and the Speech and Hearing Clinic.

Student life

thumb|Interfaith Chapel

{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"

|+ style="font-size:90%" |Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023

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! Race and ethnicity

! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total

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| White

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| Two or more races

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| Black

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| International student

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| Unknown

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! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |Economic diversity

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| Low-income

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| Affluent

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|}

There are seven residence halls on campus.

West Liberty University offers 9 organizations made up of fraternities and sororities, 18 academic and professional organizations, 10 honoraries, 6 sports and recreational clubs, 6 religiously affiliated groups and 23 special interest groups. There is a physical education club for students majoring in physical education, and an intramural program covering activities such as basketball, volleyball, softball, tennis, swimming, racquetball, ping pong, billiards, flag football, aerobics, euchre, and 3-on-3 basketball. This program is operated by the office of the Vice President of Student Affairs.

West Liberty University has several Greek organizations on campus.

Athletics

thumb|West Liberty Hilltoppers logo.

West Liberty University's Intercollegiate Athletics Program is an integral part of the institution's total educational mission. Sixteen men's and women's sports are offered: football, women's volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, wrestling, women's softball, men's baseball, men's and women's track, men's and women's golf, men and women's soccer and women's acrobatic and tumbling. The men's and women's tennis teams were discontinued in May 2023. There is also a coed cheerleading squad. The college is a member of NCAA Division II and formerly belonged to the 16-member West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). In June 2012, it was one of nine WVIAC members that announced plans to leave the conference after the 2012–13 school year to start a new Division II league. Two months later, the new league was unveiled as the Mountain East Conference, with West Liberty as one of its 12 charter members.

Alumni

The West Liberty University Alumni Association was founded in June 1877 with 103 members. Today, the Alumni Association represents nearly 20,000 alumni. The Alumni Association Board of Directors maintains an "Alumni Wall of Honor" to honor some of the college's distinguished alumni.

Alumni Park was home to three black granite pyramids displaying the engraved names of alumni and friends of West Liberty University. Alumni Park was located in the "heart" of the campus – just outside Main Hall and adjacent to the Union, at the edge of the 'quad'. In the summer of 2017, these structures were removed due to deterioration. A replacement wall of alumni and friends is expected to be erected within the breezeway of Main Hall. Currently, a fire globe is situated in Alumni Park.

Notable alumni

Notes

References

  • Athletics website