WVU President Gordon Gee visits VA Memorial Park

Following a 55-county tour last year, Gee will visit three-fourths of the state this year.

“It’s an opportunity for us to really connect with the people of the state and to tell folks in the state how much we love them and appreciate them and how much we appreciate them being a part of our family,” he said.

Following the success of last year’s tour, Gee said he felt it was important to keep the outreach going.

“I think the second year around you move from being a curiosity to being a component of the state and get people to believe that we really do care,” he said. “That results in the fact that people are really much more engaged in showing us what we need to do, options that we have and opportunities that we can engage in — and it’s a great way for us also to raise the spirit of the state.”

However, this year’s tour is slightly different than last year’s inaugural one, according to Gee.

“This year we’re really concentrating on determining how we can best support the people in their communities,” he said.

“This year it’s about jobs and opportunity,” Gee said. “Last year it was about learning. It’s about understanding what we can do to make a difference.”

WVU student athletes accompanied Gee, engaging the Special Olympics athletes in miniature golf and tennis at the Clarksburg park. WVU honors program students and entrepreneurs are also taking part in the tour.

“We’ve got a great group of students,” Gee said. “After all, the university is about students, and we’re blessed to have some of the best and brightest in this country.”

Also among those traveling with Gee was Matt Harbaugh, associate vice president for WVU’s Office of Transformation, who also joined Gee on last year’s tour.

“Last year I got to visit seven counties — a lot of the same ones we’re seeing this year — but in every case, we’re making different stops than we did last year, so I’m getting to see some new things,” Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh was excited to join Gee on Wednesday’s visits to five counties and hopes to stay on for more of the tour.

“We can look at the impact that the university is having, and we can think about other ways that we can partner with people across West Virginia to have an even bigger impact in the future,” Harbaugh said.

Gee also visited four other counties on the first day of the tour, starting in Parkersburg and traveling to Glenville and Weston before finishing his day in Clarksburg.

Along the tour, Gee and his team visited West Virginia businesses, including Holl’s Chocolates and Appalachian Glass.

“I got to see some of the great, local businesses that we have, and for me that’s meaningful because I work with small businesses and entrepreneurs,” Harbaugh said. “It’s really great to see it in action in West Virginia, and this is such a great state when it comes to small businesses, family-owned businesses, people who are really taking their passions and turning it into their livelihood.”

Harbaugh said he hopes to take those same skills back to WVU to instill in his students and allow them to create their own jobs.

Gee likes to stop by WVU Extension Service programs, such as 4-H camps and Energy Express sites.

“One of the things that we do in West Virginia, which I think is wonderfully unique, is we have these reading programs for students so they don’t lose their reading skills. They raise their aspirations, and they raise their expectations,” he said.

Harbaugh is pleased to see firsthand the work that the Extension Service does throughout the state.

“The Extension Office and the Extension officers have a huge role to play in each community that they’re in, whether it’s for economic development, educational or 4-H camp,” he said. “It’s really inspiring to see the ways that the university can have a real impact in people’s lives across the state.”

Gee said his goal is to plant the “Flying WV” flag in all areas of the state.

“We belong to 1.8 West Virginians, and they should have a right to see the university’s presence and see us here,” he said. “I think that we need to see them to get a real sense of how we can best serve the people of the state.”

As a land-grant institution, WVU has a responsibility to reach out to residents of the state, Gee said.

“We are here to serve,” he said. “We are also a major research institution, which means we are here to create ideas and create jobs.”

Gee said he looks forward to continuing his tour through the rest of the state.

“It’s a special time for me,” he said. “I love to be on the road because I think West Virginia is not only a beautiful state, but full of beautiful people. I love the spirit of the state, and it is energizing to me.”