Higher Education

Prospective college students and their families around the state can attend a new series of financial aid webinars aimed at helping them navigate the process of seeking a degree. More than $100 million is available in financial aid annually in West Virginia, and state officials say the webinars can help students better understand what is available to them.

Gov. Jim Justice announced in a press conference Friday that 30 of the state’s 55 county school systems are now requiring masking of students, faculty and staff regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status.

We continue with our summer education radio series, “Closing the COVID Gap.” In our last story, we heard from families in West Virginia who are sticking with virtual or homeschool this fall. Now, we turn our attention to high school seniors and higher education.

On this West Virginia Morning, we explore the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on higher education. Also, we have news updates on a landmark opioid trial in Charleston, on two closing power plants in the state and a petition seeking better protections against black lung disease.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a big impact on all students. This includes high school students -- some of whom did not qualify for West Virginia’s PROMISE Scholarship this year. There are also still students who have yet to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which, last fall, officials said submissions were down by 25 percent compared to the previous year.

West Virginia University administrators announced plans to hold an in-person commencement ceremony in May amid improving public health conditions. The plan was announced in a virtual campus forum Thursday.Last spring, graduates had their graduation ceremony canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s ceremony will be held on May 15-16 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown.

As West Virginia lawmakers gear up to return to the Capitol next week for the 2021 state legislative session, there are many issues that are top of mind -- from tackling the coronavirus pandemic, expanding telehealth care, broadband, job creation, tax repeals and reviewing the governor’s emergency powers -- another issue will be centerstage: education.

On this West Virginia Morning, WVU Medicine has quickly set up a mass vaccination site in Morgantown, hoping to vaccinate tens of thousands of people against COVID-19 each week. Also, we hear the latest news on school reentry in the state, we visit the New River Gorge, and we hear from higher education institutions that are trying to help students stay in school.

Coronavirus cases among college students, faculty and staff in West Virginia remained low this fall. By the end of the semester, both public and private schools averaged a cumulative positivity rate of just 2 percent at all four-year institutions after holding a 1 percent cumulative positivity rate for several months.

On this West Virginia Morning, we explore how West Virginia’s colleges and universities tackled the pandemic last fall and what they're hoping to improve on in the spring. Also, we hear the latest news on a newly elected West Virginia delegate who took part in the insurrection in Washington, D.C., we hear a report from a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic, and we have this week’s Mountain Stage Song of the Week.