Strategic Priorities
Together, we lead the way forward.
Our strategic priorities define what matters most, while the goals within each priority explain how progress will be made. Meaningful progress depends on individuals and teams actively engaging with the goals—identifying ways to contribute, proposing new approaches, and aligning their work to strengthen our collective impact.
Prepare learners to be successful
Goals:
- Offer academic programs that broaden the mind, foster personal growth, and prepare learners for meaningful careers.
- Personalize education with a focus on learner success while offering unique pathways that make learning accessible, flexible, and achievable for all.
- Deliver experiential learning opportunities that integrate emerging technologies, build essential skills, and align with society and industry needs.
- Commit to a vibrant learning environment that nurtures intellectual, physical, social, and mental well-being.
- Graduate curious, resilient, lifelong learners who embrace service and civility.
Education is the foundation of WVU’s impact and the primary way the University fulfills its promise to learners and the state. By offering academic programs that broaden perspectives, foster personal growth, and prepare students for meaningful careers, WVU ensures graduates are ready for a rapidly changing world. A strong emphasis on personalized learning, experiential opportunities, emerging technologies, and student well-being creates accessible and flexible pathways to success. Together, these goals underscore WVU’s commitment to graduating resilient, curious, and civically minded lifelong learners who are equipped not only to thrive professionally but also to serve with purpose.
Solve real problems
Goals:
- Tackle tough problems - from the heart of Appalachia to communities across the globe.
- Enable multi-disciplinary collaborations that drive innovation and deliver high-impact results.
- Broaden engagement in research, scholarship, and creativity to inspire new perspectives and dynamic intellectual exchange.
- Share knowledge and solutions to accelerate progress and enhance the human condition.
- Produce creative, critical, and analytical thinkers ready to address complex challenges and spur discovery.
Discovery at WVU is driven by a responsibility to tackle real and complex challenges - from the heart of Appalachia to communities across the globe. Through multidisciplinary collaboration, broad engagement in research and creative activity, and the sharing of knowledge, the University accelerates innovation and advances the human condition. This pillar reinforces WVU’s role as a catalyst for high-impact scholarship that produces critical and analytical thinkers, fuels discovery, and translates ideas into solutions that matter, strengthening both the institution’s academic standing and its societal relevance.
Improve health and well-being
Goals:
- Address the most prevalent causes of health disparities within West Virginia and the region.
- Educate individuals and communities on wellness and disease prevention to build awareness and healthy practices.
- Effectively translate knowledge to positively affect health, well-being, and quality of life.
- Cultivate exceptional health professionals who embody compassion, empathy, and the spirit of collaboration in a shared commitment to healing.
- Deliver world-class, comprehensive care that brings leading expertise and advanced treatment to West Virginians and all we serve.
Improving health and well-being is central to WVU’s mission and its service to West Virginia. By addressing the most prevalent health disparities, educating communities on prevention and wellness, and translating knowledge into real-world impact, WVU advances healthier outcomes across the region. The cultivation of compassionate, collaborative health professionals and the delivery of world-class, comprehensive care reflect a deep commitment to healing and service. This pillar positions WVU as a leader in improving quality of life while responding directly to the state’s most urgent and persistent health needs.
Empower individuals and communities to thrive
Goals:
- Improve college preparedness among incoming students by partnering with K-12 schools to close readiness gaps.
- Demonstrate how attending WVU opens doors - equipping learners not just for a job, but for a life of purpose, adaptability, and possibility.
- Reduce financial barriers, increase aid transparency, and ensure learners stay on track to graduation.
- Strengthen WVU’s impact by expanding community engagement across our campuses and through Extension.
- Act as an economic engine - attracting businesses, creating jobs, and fueling growth that benefits West Virginia and the region.
Service reflects WVU’s land-grant responsibility to expand opportunity, strengthen communities, and drive economic growth. Through partnerships with K-12 schools, efforts to reduce financial barriers, and expanded community engagement across campuses and Extension, WVU helps learners stay on track to graduation and prepares them for lives of purpose and adaptability. Acting as an economic engine, the University attracts businesses, creates jobs, and fuels regional growth - demonstrating how higher education can be a powerful force for shared prosperity and long-term community vitality.
Deliver extraordinary experiences
Goals:
- Foster a culture of curiosity and self-discovery that ignites passion and purpose.
- Enrich lives through the transformational power of creativity, arts, and culture.
- Prepare students to lead in an interconnected world through global experiences and cross-disciplinary engagement.
- Provide co-curricular and extracurricular activities that complement academic success and build community.
- Enhance competitive programs that exemplify integrity, sportsmanship, and Mountaineer pride, recognizing their power to elevate WVU’s profile, unite fans, and inspire achievement.
Extraordinary experiences bring the WVU mission to life by fostering curiosity, creativity, connection, and pride. Through arts and culture, global and cross-disciplinary engagement, co-curricular opportunities, and competitive programs rooted in integrity and sportsmanship, WVU enriches lives and builds community. These experiences complement academic success, strengthen a sense of belonging, and elevate the University’s profile, ensuring that Mountaineers graduate not only with knowledge, but with confidence, perspective, and a lifelong connection to WVU.
