MONTGOMERY, W.Va. — Citizens packed a Monday night meeting worried that WVU Tech’s days may be numbered amid West Virginia University’s ongoing purchase of the Mountain State University campus in Beckley.
WVU vice president Rob Alsop insisted the plan is to operate duel campuses, but several speakers complained it’s not feasible or fair to open a Beckley WVU Tech campus when the Montgomery campus needs support.
Montgomery Mayor James Higgins said that WVU Tech and his town are synonymous.
“I’ve been mayor for almost a quarter of a century, and Montgomery wouldn’t be the same without Tech,” he said. “We’d survive and find some other ways to do things, but it would never be the same.”
Alsop answered questions throughout the meeting, claiming WVU administrators would try their best to satisfy people in both cities while also broadening educational opportunities.
“Can we make everybody totally happy? I don’t know if that’s the case,” Alsop said. “But we’re going to do the best to follow this process with the main guidepost as, how we can provide those educational opportunities.”
Recent WVU Tech graduate Jessica Lynn Sargent-Hill said the school remains an everyday part of her life and her business relies on students.
“I’ve grown up in this area, all my friends are in this area, I played sports for the school and now I work in the town,” she said. “A lot of the students are my customers and I really depend on them. Tech is pretty important to me.”
Higgins said he was glad the meeting gave Montgomery residents a chance to speak their minds.
WVU’s purchase of the Mountain State campus is expected to be finalized later this year, with classes scheduled to begin for the 2016 fall semester.