About Southern

Southern’s History

Southern West Virginia Community College was established as an independently accredited, comprehensive community college on July 1, 1971, through the consolidation of two existing branches of Marshall University. These branches, located in Mingo and Logan Counties, had been in operation under Marshall’s direction since 1963 and provided the first two years of liberal arts and teacher education, as well as career programs in secretarial science and radiologic technology. In 1971 these two locations became the first two campuses of Southern when it became an independently accredited institution of higher education. It was also in 1971 that Southern’s first building was completed in Williamson.

Since 1971 the College has continued to expand its academic, workforce development, and community service offerings. In 1976 the West Virginia Board of Regents established formal service areas for each of the state’s public colleges and universities. Southern was assigned an area of approximately 1,900 square miles that included the counties of Boone, Logan, Mingo, and Wyoming. In 1981 the College’s service area was expanded through an interstate agreement with Kentucky, which provided for students from Martin and Pike counties to attend Southern at the in-state tuition rate.

In 1995, with a renewed emphasis on workforce development and technical training, the state legislature changed the names of all community colleges in the state to emphasize their technical components, and Southern’s name became Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. In addition to the name changes, Senate Bill 547 also outlined eleven community and technical college districts throughout the state, which added three additional West Virginia counties - Lincoln, McDowell and Raleigh - to Southern’s district. McDowell and Raleigh were identified as “shared counties” with responsibility for providing educational opportunities shared with two other community colleges.

Along with increasing enrollment, expansion of the geographic area served, and growth in the number and types of programs offered, the College’s physical facilities have also grown through the years. Beginning with the original building on the Williamson Campus in 1971, new facilities have been constructed throughout the College’s district. The construction of the first Logan Campus building was completed in 1979, and a new addition was added in 1987. In Wyoming County, a new location was selected near Twin Falls State Park, and a building was constructed there in 1989. This location has added new classrooms and remodeled the student commons area since that time. In 1996, the Boone Campus relocated from a renovated facility in Madison to a new building adjacent to the Boone County Career and Technical Center. The Earl Ray Tomblin Workforce Development Center and Administrative Complex opened in Logan in October 1998, and in 1999 a new library wing was added to the Williamson Campus. In the fall of 2007, a first of its kind classroom physically connected to the Lincoln County Comprehensive High School was opened to better serve the Lincoln County area. The College welcomed students into a new 55,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Allied Health and Technology Center on the Logan Campus in January 2008. In April of 2013 Southern proudly opened its state-of-the-art Applied Technology Center on the Williamson Campus, which greatly enhances the opportunities for career training in Mingo County and surrounding communities. In 2016, the College acquired and continues to renovate the adjacent National Guard Armory building and property. These facilities allow Southern to continue to provide comprehensive education and training to meet the needs of current and future credit and non-credit students.

Through the years, Southern has developed educational agreements with several public and private colleges and universities to provide local access to additional educational opportunities for those who have completed the associate degree. This local access to baccalaureate and master’s degree programs utilizes a variety of delivery modes, including on-campus, traditional instruction, as well as electronic distance learning and online instruction. These agreements with higher education institutions throughout the state and across the nation are continuously updated and new ones initiated as needed.

Higher education governance in West Virginia has undergone many changes over the years. Since 2001, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College has been a member of the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia. This system oversees the community and technical colleges throughout the state and provides for each member institution to have a local Board of Governors. The West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education serves as a policy and coordinating board.

In 2006, in cooperation with the Southern West Virginia Community College Foundation, the College launched its first Major Gifts Campaign‚ Vision 2020‚ with the purpose of raising additional funds to assist in achieving a number of long-range goals related to academic programs, physical facilities, and improving student financial support. This campaign’s success and support by the local communities has been extraordinary.

Although the institution continues to face many challenges, Southern continues to provide the highest quality programs and services and remains committed to meeting the educational and training needs of the residents of its service district.

Mission Statement

Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College provides accessible, affordable, quality education and training that promote success for those we serve.

As a comprehensive community and technical college, Southern is committed to providing:

1. Developmental and pre-college level education for those who lack the necessary academic background for direct entry into college-level courses.
2. Programs of study leading to the Associate in Arts and the Associate in Science degrees which can be effectively transferred and applied toward the baccalaureate degree.
3. Programs of study in career and technical fields leading to a skill-set certification, certificate degree and/or the Associate in Applied Science degree for entry into the workforce.
4. Workforce development, continuing education and training programs that support the needs of employees and employers and serve as a mechanism for economic development.
5. Support services that assist students in achieving their education and training goals.
6. Community interest programs and activities that promote personal growth and cultural enrichment.

Core Values

We will accomplish our mission by:

1. Achieving excellence in education and service.
2. Exhibiting integrity in all that we do.
3. Collaborating and communicating actively with others.
4. Being committed in word and deed.
5. Imparting passion and compassion to our every task.
6. Leading by encouragement and support of lifelong learning.
7. Embracing change through bold actions.
8. Being creative and innovative at all levels.
9. Initiating opportunities for the community.
10. Celebrating success.

Vision Statement

Southern aspires to establish itself as a model of leadership, academic excellence, collaboration, and occupational training, equipping its students with the tools necessary to compete and prosper in the regional and global economies of the twenty-first century.

General Education Philosophy and Goals

The faculty of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College dedicate themselves to preparing Southern’s graduates for life and work in the twenty-first century. The general education philosophy and goals describe Southern’s commitment to providing each graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary for professional and personal success.

Purpose

The purpose of general education at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College is to produce generally educated students who contribute to their communities and country. A generally educated student is a life-long learner with a common academic canon of knowledge, concepts and attitudes.

Philosophy

Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College is committed to providing general education to help students develop the qualities and skills associated with college-educated adults. Southern’s general education promotes the development of independent, critical, and conceptual thinking skills and those skills necessary for effective communication. Southern’s general education provides students with an integrated view of knowledge and prepares them for their role as productive and responsible members of society.

Goals

Southern is committed to providing a general education program that is designed to help students develop qualities and skills associated with college educated adults. Students who have completed the general education requirements of an associate degree will have improved competencies in the following:

Critical thinking is the ability to identify and interpret relevant information in order to formulate an opinion or conclusion.

Communication is utilizing verbal and written language to discuss and comprehend information, incorporating a variety of technologies, such as texts, data, and images.

Quantitative literacy and fluency is the demonstration and communication of computational methods and mathematical reasoning in a variety of formats (using words, tables, graphs, mathematical equations, etc. as appropriate).

Intercultural competency is the ability to communicate and behave in appropriate ways with those who are culturally diverse.

Campus Locations

Logan Campus
2900 Dempsey Branch Road
Mount Gay, WV 25637
304.792.7098 (V)
304.792.7028 (F)
304.792.7054 (TTY)

Williamson Campus
1601 Armory Drive
Williamson, WV 25661
304.235.6046 (V)
304.235.6042 (F)
304.235.6056 (TTY)

Boone/Lincoln Campus
3505 Daniel Boone Parkway
Suite A
Foster, WV 25081-8126
304.369.2952 (V)
304.369.2954 (F)
304.369.2960 (TTY)

Wyoming/McDowell Campus
128 College Drive
Saulsville, WV 28576-6040
304.294.8346 (V)
304.294.6426 (F)
304.294.8520 (TTY)

Additional Locations

Lincoln County High School
81 Lincoln Panther Way
Hamlin, WV 25523
304.307.0710 (V)
304.824.2339 (F)

Running Right Leadership Academy
300 Running Right Way
Julian, WV 25529

McDowell County Career and Technical Center
One Stadium Drive
Welch, WV 24801

Southern’s employee directory can be found at http://www.southernwv.edu/employees

Off-Campus Courses

Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College off-campus teaching locations are designed to provide college courses to people in locations remote from the main campuses. For more information regarding off-campus courses, contact the campus serving your area.