West Virginia University
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

West Virginia University is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture by promoting diversity, inclusion, equality, and intercultural and inter-community outreach. Accordingly, the University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, marital or family status, pregnancy, veteran status, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or gender expression in the administration of any of its education program, activities or with respect to admission or employment. The Office of Equity Assurance, which includes the Title IX and ADA Coordinators, is designated to handle inquiries and reports regarding nondiscrimination policies reports. Contact Director of Equity Assurance/Title IX Coordinator, James Goins Jr. or ADA Coordinator, Jill Hess at 304-293-5600 for more information or to file a report.

To uphold the University's values of fostering a climate of opportunity, mutual respect and understanding that engenders a feeling that the future should be shared by all community members and striving for a campus that is absent of discrimination and harassment on the basis of a protected class named above, the Office of Equity Assurance is responsible for:

Investigating all reports of discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, domestic misconduct, stalking and retaliation through a fair and equitable process.

Monitoring WVU’s compliance with federal, state and institutional policy and procedures.

Making relevant policy recommendations.

Advising units about hiring processes.

Providing prevention education and training.

Ensuring support services for persons with disabilities.

https://diversity.wvu.edu/equity-assurance

WVU supports those who have experienced or witnessed a bias incident, act of discrimination or hate crime by ensuring the right of the individual to simultaneously file a criminal complaint and a discrimination complaint with WVU’s Equity Assurance Office. WVU prohibits retaliation against any individual who participates in a formal or informal resolution process. In addition, WVU provides information regarding possible University and community supportive measures that are available regardless of whether the individual chooses to file a formal report or report the crime to campus police or local law enforcement.

The supportive measures, may include but are not limited to:
• Access to counseling services (Carruth Center for students and Faculty/Staff Assistance Program for employees)
• On Campus No Contact Directive
• Rescheduling exams/assignments
• Providing alternate course options
• Changing class/work schedules
• Changing work job assignments
• Temporary suspension to campus facilities/housing
• Limit access to certain privileges and events
• Escort to ensure safety
• Medical care
• Tutoring & Academic support
• University imposed leave or suspension
• Alternate housing options/emergency housing

The supportive measures above are offered any time an incident is reported to the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, whether or not it is the target of the incident themselves or another reporter. Incidents are received and investigated by a case manager and the Director of Equity Assurance/Title IX Coordinator. This group also tracks and identified trends to offer needed interventions, whether those are trainings or referrals to groups like Human Resources, etc. WVU also has a CARE Team that assists students not just in bias incidents, but in everything from academic concerns to traumatic life events.

Diversity Scholarship

West Virginia University strives to advocate for an inclusive, diverse, and accepting community. In addition to our current scholarship programs, we are pleased to offer incoming freshmen to the Morgantown campus the opportunity to apply for our Diversity Scholarship. This program is designed to award exceptional and talented students who have been traditionally underrepresented on college campuses, and who are culturally, ethnically, or racially diverse.

Program Requirements and Application

For consideration, students must:

Have a minimum high school GPA of 3.00 and an ACT super score of 21 or a new SAT of 1070 (Evidence-based reading score and Math score only)

Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident

Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to WVU by March 1 during their senior year of high school

Be admitted to WVU's Morgantown campus as a first-time freshman by July 15 for the upcoming academic year

Submit the WVU Diversity Scholarship Application by July 15 for the upcoming academic year

Scholarship Awards

Residents of West Virginia

$1,500 per year for up to four undergraduate years, or a bachelor's degree (whichever comes first). A minimum overall GPA of 2.75 and at least 30 earned credit hours each academic year are required to renew the scholarship. See our Renewal Requirements page for additional important information such as how repeated coursework can impact renewal. Students must submit a FAFSA to WVU by March 1 each academic year for renewal for the following year.

Not Residents of West Virginia

$2,500 per year for up to four undergraduate years, or a bachelor's degree (whichever comes first). A minimum overall GPA of 2.75 and at least 30 earned credit hours each academic year are required to renew the scholarship. See our Renewal Requirements page for additional important information such as how repeated coursework can impact renewal. Students must submit a FAFSA to WVU by March 1 each academic year for renewal for the following year.

Chancellor’s Scholars Program

The Chancellor’s Scholars Program (CSP) is a centerpiece of West Virginia University’s efforts to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups as doctoral students. It is one of the most innovative and successful programs designed to enhance diversity at WVU.

The program is funded by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) who partner with WVU to prepare and engage aspiring scholars for meaningful and gratifying academic experiences at the University. Through this effort, the partners foster a genuine commitment to diversity which establishes and sustains an inclusive influence on the success of the students as they prepare for a future as members of faculty and staff at institutions of higher education and other associated professional communities.

The program has both immediate and long-term objectives:

The principal immediate objective is to increase the number of highly qualified students from underrepresented groups who enroll in doctoral programs at WVU.

The long-term objective is to increase the diversity of faculty members at colleges and universities throughout West Virginia to bring a wider range of experiences and perspectives to teaching and scholarly discussion within the statewide higher education system.

In order to meet these objectives and maximize the benefits for students, WVU, and the state of West Virginia, the CSP provides opportunity and access to populations underrepresented in academia. The Chancellor's Scholars Program application can be submitted online.

https://diversity.wvu.edu/diversity-initiatives/graduate-education-initiatives

As an Affirmative Action employer, WVU has programs designed specifically to recruit underrepresented groups, including minorities, women, Veterans, and people with disabilities. These programs include but are by no means limited to: advertising job openings with targeted recruitment sources such as diversity-focused professional organizations, mentoring programs, resume review workshops, a program to help place in the organization underrepresented candidates who may have been the second choice for a position, and a program to provide financial assistance to departments hiring faculty from underrepresented groups.

RISE WVU-
Rise WVU creates opportunities for students of color to build an academic community and persist towards graduation. We collaborate with campus partners to offer various services and events to connect and unify underrepresented students with the broader campus community.

FirstGen-
First-Generation Initiatives develop programs to help “FirstGen” students succeed. First-Generation is defined as neither parent or guardian has completed a four-year degree.
• Ensure a seamless transition from high school to college
• Offer academic help through our student success programs
• Celebrate the achievements of our FirstGen students, faculty, and staff.

M-Power-
M-Power is a mentorship program for students of color and part of an ongoing partnership between the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Athletics, RISE-WVU, the LGBTQ+ Center and Student Engagement & Leadership. Grounded in community and cultural engagement, M-Power will connect undergraduate students with one another – as well as to faculty, staff, and graduate students of color – in dialogue and programming that promotes an inclusive academic community.

Led by a core group of facilitators, students will take part in experiences that foster critical thinking and develop trust while providing students opportunities that affirm their own racial or cultural identity. What makes M-Power unique? Its strategic connection to existing mentorship and leadership development programs from across the University and specific attention to race, culture, and identity.
https://diversity.wvu.edu/diversity-initiatives/m-power

The Quad Living-Learning Community-
The Quad LLC was created to provide students of color a space for cultural connection and academic support. Focusing on the four areas of student development that are priorities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as well as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs): Cultural Connections, Engagement, Academics and Service, students will be provided an environment where they can grow and flourish. This LLC gives students an opportunity to live in an environment that fosters unity among underrepresented students. The Quad LLC is open to all students of color at WVU.

As a member of this LLC, you will:
• Be surrounded by students of color in a supportive, academic-focused living-learning community that eases your transition to college.
• Participate in events and activities centered around Cultural Connections, Engagement, Academics, and Service.
• Enroll in a common curriculum developed to help students of color gain study skills, learn about WVU resources and stay engaged.
• Build connections with other students, staff members and faculty who are passionate about empowering underrepresented communities at WVU.
• Prepare yourself for success and persistence from your first days on campus all the way to graduation.
https://housing.wvu.edu/housing-options/living-and-learning-communities/the-quad

Academic STARS-
Students Achieving and Reaching Success, is a program designed to help African American students build a solid academic foundation and develop leadership qualities.
https://cbc.wvu.edu/academic-stars

Center for Black Culture and Research-
ESTABLISHED IN 1987, THE MISSION OF THE CBC&R IS SIX-FOLD:
• To provide critical support to WVU Students, particularly African American students and students of color with issues concerning recruitment and retention
• To provide the university community with cultural and social events that are unique to the African World experience
• To provide a forum for the study, research and examination of African people and societies
• To provide an educational, social and cultural support system for African and African American Students, faculty, staff, and community members
• To support the development of the state of West Virginia through education, extension and public service activities and
• To serve as an intellectual source for the study and research of African and African American culture and life.

LGBTQ+ Center-
The LGBTQ+ Center provides programming and academic resources for WVU students, faculty, staff, and community members. Situated in Academic Affairs and reporting to the Office of the Provost, we help enact the academic mission of the modern land grant university. We support the university’s educational social justice efforts through trainings, classes, and advocacy on WVU campuses and across the state. Attention to LGBTQ-related inequities also requires addressing all aspects of inequality, including homophobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, ableism, and more. The LGBTQ+ Center also provides a warm, comfortable atmosphere for organizing, socializing, teaching, and learning. We welcome all students, staff, faculty, and community members to come up and join us.

Center for Veteran, Military, and Family Programs-
West Virginia University offers resources specific to serving our student veterans. The resources that can be utilized by student veterans include:
• Study Rooms
• Lounges
• Veteran Legal Counsel
• Priority Registration
• Mountaineer Bunker


WVU Women’s Leadership Initiative-
The Women’s Leadership Initiative strives to empower women in leadership roles by providing them the tools, resources, development opportunities, and professional networks that will enable them to reach their full potential. The steering committee is made up of WLI members from across the university who demonstrate leadership through their roles as administrators, faculty and staff.

National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (WVU has an institutional membership)

ADVANCE Center-
As an academic hub, the ADVANCE Center works with faculty, staff and campus-wide leaders to disrupt institutional inequities and promote inclusive policies that sustain and grow a thriving culture and climate University-wide.
What does WVU ADVANCE do for Faculty?
-Supportive academic culture: Our team regularly engages with chairs, departmental leaders, and faculty to create a departmental culture of respect where all faculty can thrive and be successful. For our ADVANCE Speaker Series, we invite nationally known scholars to discuss the importance of diversity and inclusivity on scholarship, teaching, and outreach.
-Institutional policies and practices: Our ADVANCE team works to review, revise, and increase the transparency and effective implementation of recruitment, promotion, and tenure policies.
-Addressing the underrepresentation of women in faculty and leadership positions: Our ADVANCE team works with search committees to improve faculty recruitment. The focus is on understanding the impact of unconscious bias on candidate selection and providing discipline specific strategies that will diversify hiring pools. The Women’s Leadership Initiative is housed under the ADVANCE Center. The Center also offers workshops for leadership development, professional network building, and other career skills.
-Support for work-life satisfaction: Members of our ADVANCE team are engaged in creating and disseminating policies that provide support for work-life fit for all faculty. These policies are intimately linked with faculty satisfaction and retention. Most of the initiatives focus on promoting departmental and institutional flexibility and include a procedure for parental work assignment after the birth/adoption/guardianship of a child, expanding dual career opportunities, child care resources, lactation support, dependent tuition waivers, domestic partnership benefits, etc.
-Career support such as mentoring and leadership training: The ADVANCE Sponsorship Program has fostered career development through external mentoring relationships by pairing WVU faculty members (8-10 per year) with mentors who are leaders in their fields to support collaborations on clearly identified projects with outcomes that provide significant career advancement opportunities for our faculty.
-Systematic data collection: Personnel at the ADVANCE Center regularly collect a variety of institutional data to document and report organizational trends, identify specific faculty needs, assess the impact of new policies, and detect new issues that may arise.
-Addressing issues as they arise: Our team is committed to supporting an inclusive climate at WVU. We are available to assist individual faculty or administrative units and help them identify resources to support their success. If you require assistance, please contact us.

Chancellor’s Scholars Program

The Chancellor’s Scholars Program (CSP) is a centerpiece of West Virginia University’s efforts to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups as doctoral students. It is one of the most innovative and successful programs designed to enhance diversity at WVU.

The program is funded by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) who partner with WVU to prepare and engage aspiring scholars for meaningful and gratifying academic experiences at the University. Through this effort, the partners foster a genuine commitment to diversity which establishes and sustains an inclusive influence on the success of the students as they prepare for a future as members of faculty and staff at institutions of higher education and other associated professional communities.

The program has both immediate and long-term objectives:

The principal immediate objective is to increase the number of highly qualified students from underrepresented groups who enroll in doctoral programs at WVU.

The long-term objective is to increase the diversity of faculty members at colleges and universities throughout West Virginia to bring a wider range of experiences and perspectives to teaching and scholarly discussion within the statewide higher education system.

In order to meet these objectives and maximize the benefits for students, WVU, and the state of West Virginia, the CSP provides opportunity and access to populations underrepresented in academia. The Chancellor's Scholars Program application can be submitted online.

https://diversity.wvu.edu/diversity-initiatives/graduate-education-initiatives

Inventory of gender-neutral bathrooms:
https://lgbtq.wvu.edu/wvu-resources/gender-inclusive-bathrooms-on-campus

Housing accommodations for underrepresented groups:
https://housing.wvu.edu/housing-options/living-and-learning-communities/true-colors-community