Higher education in America faces severe challenges, many unprecedented. Since the pandemic, enrollment nation-wide has dropped by more than a million students, accelerating a decade-long trend. On top of that, we’re approaching a demographic cliff in Fall 2025, and new-student enrollment in American colleges could drop up to another 15%.
When I was hired as Fairmont State University’s 27th President two years ago, I made a commitment: We would not only be a school for the North Central region — we would serve all of West Virginia, and I would visit every county in the state.
Over the past couple of years, Fairmont State University has been working diligently to develop a strategy to guide our actions for the next decade. If you attended my inauguration last year, read my previous op-eds, or watched my monthly videos, you have no doubt heard me speak about our Strategic Vision.
In higher education, competition among institutions is often assumed to be a zero-sum game — one university’s gain is another’s loss. As presidents of two West Virginia public universities, we can tell you that nothing is further from the truth. In fact, we believe that when West Virginia’s higher education institutions work together, the entire state benefits.
Higher education must take the lead in reversing population trends. Fairmont State University is a leader in this area, and we know that we must be proactive if we are going to help the state of West Virginia reach its potential.
Fairmont State University’s biggest fundraising event of the year, the annual Day of Giving, takes place Thursday, February 27. The funds raised support academic programs, student organizations, athletic teams, and student support initiatives.
As I write this message to you, our neighbors, friends, and supporters, Fairmont State University is busy. We’re kicking off our spring semester, and our students and faculty have returned to join staff members who already hit the ground running in 2025.
