Former names
|
West Liberty Academy West Liberty State Normal School West Liberty State Teacher's College West Liberty State College |
---|---|
Motto | Welcome to your future |
Type | Public coeducational |
Established | March 30, 1837 |
President | Stephen Greiner (2016–present) |
Academic staff
|
143 |
Undergraduates | 2,530 (Fall 2014) |
Postgraduates | 164 |
Location | West Liberty, West Virginia, United States |
Campus | Rural on 290 acres |
Colors | Black and Gold |
Nickname | The Hilltoppers |
Website | www.westliberty.edu |
West Liberty University is a public university in West Liberty, West Virginia, United States, near Wheeling. West Liberty University is West Virginia's oldest institution of higher education. While elementary and secondary education are the most common majors, WLU provides a variety of other programs including digital media design, athletic training, and Appalachian studies. The school's athletic teams, known as the Hilltoppers, compete in the NCAA Division II Mountain East Conference.
West Liberty was approved to become a "university" by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission in November 2008. The West Liberty Board of Governors voted to change to West Liberty University on 3 May 2009. The bulk of its student body comes from the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
On March 11, 2015 President Robin C. Capehart resigned after serving for 7 and a half years. John P. McCullough was appointed interim president. Capehart faced 16 ethics violations with the State of West Virginia, but was ultimately cleared after he settled with the state. The faculty senate voted a 13–6 "no confidence" vote on Capehart March 2. McCullough served as interim president in 2001 and 2005–07, until Capehart was installed July 1, 2007. On October 29, 2015 the West Liberty University Board of Governors unanimously selected Dr. Stephen Greiner as the newest president, and he began his presidency in January 2016.
In 1938, West Liberty Teacher's College began offering courses in Business and Commerce – a two-year Secretarial Studies program and a four-year Business Education degree. By 1963, the College had established a full Department of Business Administration offering curricula in accounting, management and marketing to 338 business students. Today, the Gary E. West College of Business has two departments, the Department of Financial Systems and the Department of Administrative Systems, with 20 full-time faculty members.