Related from this morning's HD......
HUNTINGTON - Marshall University officials will look to increase the university's footprint in central West Virginia this fall by offering undergraduate courses at its South Charleston campus.
Looking to fill a void in the Kanawha Valley left by the relocation of West Virginia University Institute of Technology, Marshall Provost Gayle Ormiston confirmed during the university's board of governors meeting on Feb. 24 that the university would utilize its campus located in the West Virginia Regional Technology Park for undergraduate courses.
"It gives us a presence we don't have now," Ormiston said Monday. "We're going to be in direct competition with West Virginia State and the University of Charleston, and we have a great offering and great opportunities for students to pursue degrees there."
The opportunity came at a fortuitous time for the university as Marshall President Jerome Gilbert set forth his goal for the university to have 15,000 students enrolled by the year 2020, which requires enrollment at Marshall to increase by about 2.5 percent each year.
"Anything we can do to grow enrollment at any one of our facilities is good," Ormiston said. "South Charleston is available during the day. We only offer evening classes there throughout the week, and we can capitalize on the void that's been created by West Virginia Tech leaving Montgomery."
Beginning with the first day of the fall 2016 semester on Aug. 22, Marshall will offer courses in majors that were available at WVU Tech, including health professions, athletic training, computer science, engineering and basic liberal arts and general education courses, Ormiston said. Students who begin degree programs in South Charleston would be able to finish them at Marshall's main campus in Huntington.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/mu-to-offer-undergrad-courses-in-south-charleston/article_67b36401-a324-521a-9e2b-c0c320387028.html