Oct 10, 2024  
2024-2025 Southern Academic Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Southern Academic Catalog

About Southern



Southern’s History

Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College (Southern) is a public community college with its main campus in Logan, West Virginia. The college is part of the West Virginia Community and Technical College System.

Southern was founded in 1960 as the Logan and Williamson branches of Marshall College and renamed as branches of Marshall University when Marshall achieved university status in 1961. Southern was granted community college jurisdiction over Logan and Mingo counties. Initially, campuses were housed in buildings vacant by the respective Boards of Education during the desegregation of public education. The two branches merged and became a stand-alone community college in 1970. With the reconceptualization of higher education in West Virginia, the Board of Regents was created in 1969 and voted to change the name of the College to Logan-Williamson Community College and then again in 1971 to Southern West Virginia Community College. Since that time, the College has continued to expand its academic programs through 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 community colleges and universities. Southern served approximately 1,900 square miles, including the counties Boone, Logan, Mingo, and Wyoming. In 1981, the College’s service area expanded through an interstate agreement with Kentucky, which allowed 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. Southern’s name became Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. In addition to the name change, Southern’s service district expanded by 3: Lincoln, McDowell, and Raleigh. McDowell and Raleigh were identified as shared counties responsible for providing education opportunities with two other community colleges. Currently, the college serves its region throughout six counties Boone, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mingo, and Wyoming and strives to fulfill its mission by providing education and leadership to its students and diverse community. Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College’s mission statement is to provide accessible, affordable, quality education and training that promotes success for those we serve. Southern has established educational agreements with various public and private colleges and universities, facilitating local access to baccalaureate and master’s degree programs. These agreements establish local access and additional opportunities for those who pursue education with Southern. These agreements leverage multiple education modalities, including on-campus instruction, traditional education methods, hybrid, and online courses.

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.

 Institutional Commitments

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

  • Developmental and pre-college level education for those who lack the necessary academic background for direct entry into college-level courses.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Workforce development, continuing education and training programs that support the needs of employees and employers and serve as a mechanism for economic development.
  • Support services that assist students in achieving their education and training goals.
  • 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
100 College Drive
Logan, WV  25601
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.