Local Corporations Step Up to Fund Student-Focused Initiatives at Fairmont State University

Fairmont State University received grant funding totaling $20,000 from the FirstEnergy Foundation and $10,000 from the EQT Foundation to support student-focused initiatives on campus. These grants were obtained with the assistance of Fairmont State University’s Office of Sponsored Programs. 

The funds were used to host two Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) summer camps and support the university’s Student Professionals Corps (SPC). The STEMpact Camp helped rising tenth and eleventh-grade students envision themselves as future scientists, engineers, and mathematicians by exposing them to meaningful and accessible career opportunities. Similarly, the Aerospace Careers & Engineering (SPACE) Camp provided high school students with immersive STEM and college-readiness experiences.  Both residential camps offered engaging and innovative STEM enrichment opportunities for high school students. By providing West Virginia youth with opportunities to see themselves succeeding in higher education, the camps helped lessen some of the barriers that can discourage them from pursuing a college degree. 

Fairmont State University’s Title III Strengthening Institutions Program grant, awarded through the U.S. Department of Education, established the SPC to provide professional student employment opportunities on campus that more closely aligned with students’ post-graduation career goals. The SPC furthered efforts to improve higher education attainment in West Virginia by offering Fairmont State students workforce development and career-readiness experiences through on-campus employment. 

These projects, led by Stephanie Jones, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education; Todd Ensign, Ed.D., STEM Outreach Specialist; Nicole Samson, Career Connections Coordinator; and Valerie Morphew, Ed.D., Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning Innovation and Title III Project Director, enabled Fairmont State University to offer students academically rigorous and engaging experiences that connected them to role models and career pathways throughout North Central West Virginia. 

Jones said, “This funding allowed us to provide high school students with a preview of what further study in a STEM field could look like. It also supported our goal of helping students develop a network of peers, undergraduate students, and faculty members who could encourage them as they completed high school and considered higher education.” 

The funding also helped make STEM programming more accessible to students and supported the continued growth of Fairmont State’s camp offerings. 

“Thanks to the support from the FirstEnergy and EQT Foundations, we were able to dramatically lower the cost of participation for SPACE Camp. In our fifth year, we had a strong following, with half of our 24 students returning year after year to engage in a rotating STEM topic,” said Ensign. 

Funding from the FirstEnergy Foundation and EQT Foundation covered expenses associated with hosting the residential STEM camps, including student scholarships, housing and meal costs, and necessary materials and supplies. Funding for the SPC supported marketing efforts, helping ensure the program positively impacted as many Fairmont State students as possible. 

“As the SPC Project Lead, I was excited to provide students with opportunities to develop workplace skills relevant to their future careers,” Samson said. “Participation in this program helped students build confidence, distinguish themselves from their peers, and prepare for the transition from the classroom to the workforce. The SPC also offered meaningful work experiences that provided financial support to students as they pursued their undergraduate degrees.” 

These investments from FirstEnergy and EQT strengthened Fairmont State University’s ability to foster a sense of community and self-efficacy among youth in North Central West Virginia, encouraging academic persistence and educational attainment.