The new president of West Virginia University Institute of Technology said one of his top priorities is turning the area into a "communiversity" where the community and the university thrive and grow as one.
“The communiversity is simply where the community is the university and the university is the community,” said T. Ramon Stuart, who stepped into his new role as WVU Tech’s president on the first of the year.
Stuart shared his goals and plans for the university during a Beckley Rotary Club meeting Tuesday afternoon at Historic Black Knight municipal park, where he was the guest speaker.
Stuart told Rotary members that although he can’t take credit for the creation of the term “communiversity,” which initially came from Larry Rivers with Fort Valley State University in Georgia, he did fully believe in its meaning and the value it brings.
“When you look at successful places around the nation, many of them have a successful college or university right there with them,” he said. “So we're going to work with you, Mayor (Rob Rappold). We're going to work with the (Beckley-Raleigh County) Chamber of Commerce. We're going to work with all businesses and industries in this area to ensure that your communiversity not only grows itself but helps grow (each) one of you.”
He went on to say that WVU Tech is already heavily ingrained in the Beckley and Raleigh County communities, but he hoped to see that connection strengthen and grow.
“We have an annual budget that exceeds $23 million, 280 full-time faculty and staff members and we spend over $14 million annually on salaries and benefits,” Stuart said. “So when you think about who we are, you think about it and you understand the hard workers we are, please know that we are investing and reinvesting in this community because this is our town, and we are so happy to be here.”
With a student population of more than 1,500 students, Stuart said the creation of a "communiversity" is the best way to encourage students to want to put down roots in the same area where they earned their education.
“I think there’s a great opportunity for us to start with the end in mind, to develop students that want to live, work and play and raise a family here upon graduation,” he said. “And I think when we do that, and we compare and kind of bring in the outdoor recreation and the tech that we have as a university, I think we can create an environment where people again want to live, work and play and raise a family here.”
As the institution’s first Black president, Stuart said he’s humbled to be a part of the rich history and the contributions that have been made to the state by Black people especially in higher education.
“I talked the other day about Booker T. Washington, who was from right over in Kanawha County ... and then you look at Carter G. Woodson, who was the founder of Negro History Week, which is now in Black History Month,” he said. “I've been blessed to have a road paved for me by some giants and so I just want to do what I can while I'm on this road to pave the way for other people, Black, white and everybody else so that again, if people want to do better, they can be better.”
Although Stuart has spent the last six years working as provost and vice president and later a president for universities in Georgia, he is originally from Welch and fondly remembers his upbringing.
“When I think about my upbringing in McDowell County, it taught me a couple of simple things,” he said. “Number one, it taught me how to treat people but more importantly, it taught me that we must always work hard in order to achieve our dreams.”
Having seen his mother live out this philosophy, working from a GED all the way up to a Ph.D., Stuart said he understands the value of hard work.
“I did not realize that my mother's journey – from again a GED all the way up to a Ph.D. – I did not realize that that journey was preparing me today for who I am and what I wouldn't be,” he said.
Though he joked that he’d only been on the job for one month, four hours, two minutes, 36 seconds and counting, Stuart is no stranger to WVU.
He has a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering and a Master of Science degree in industrial hygiene from WVU’s Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. He also has a doctorate in higher education administration from the Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education at Ohio University.
Prior to his move to Georgia, Stuart served in the provost’s office at West Virginia State University in a variety of roles including associate provost and associate vice president for academic affairs.
Stuart said he initially enrolled in WVU as a biology major but quickly found that was not the right fit. Then in his sophomore year, Stuart said he heard about computer engineering for the first time, eventually switched his major and that led him to where he is today.
He added that having a degree in one of the 30 academic programs offered at WVU Tech is another way that he can relate to his students.
“I think these lived and learned experiences helped me and help us meet students where they are and help them go, just like me, to places they never dreamed of going,” he said.
Beckley Rotary Club President April Elkins Badtke said Stuart's talk about a "communiversity" resonated with her.
“'I’m really excited to hear how we as an organization can be involved in their growth and support throughout the community and with that student base,” Badtke said.
She added that she has been in talks with Stuart about adding a college-based Rotary Club – called Rotaract Club – to WVU Tech’s campus.
The club, Badtke said, will give students the opportunity to get involved in community service projects, they’ll have their own officers and then this Rotary Club will "serve as just that support and mentor space for them and cheer them on and support their projects as they identify them,” Badtke said.
The Beckley Rotary Club meets at noon on Tuesdays at Historic Black Knight municipal park. For more information about the organization go to https://beckleyrotary.org.
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