UVA Wise Experiences Growth to Serve Region's Students and Employers

This fall, the University of Virginia's College at Wise (UVA Wise) kicked off the academic year by welcoming 512 new students. The College's largest class in the past decade consisted of 398 first year students and 114 transfer students.Students from Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky are studying at UVA Wise alongside peers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Ten countries outside of the United States are represented, including Canada, Mexico, Turkey, Croatia, France, Germany, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom.Those students are benefitting from the College's investments in experiential learning, new programs, campus infrastructure and other vital aspects of UVA Wise laid out in the College's most recent strategic plan, "Your College for a Lifetime," available at uvawise.edu/strategic-plan.Campus ImprovementsDuring the summer months, UVA Wise made many campus improvements to enhance the student experience through construction and renovation projects, including all new furniture in Zehmer and Darden Halls. From new academic facilities and athletic upgrades to student support and experience enhancements, the campus has been buzzing with activity all season long."If you come and visit UVA Wise, you will see an unprecedented level of investment and activity," UVA Wise Chancellor Donna P. Henry said. "Regardless of the size or scale of these projects, they all will significantly improve student experience and success, and create an improved quality of campus life for faculty, staff and students."Little Cavaliers Early Learning Center: The College opened Little Cavaliers to bring much-needed childcare to the College's community. Licensed by the Virginia Department of Education, Little Cavaliers houses four classrooms which include individually designed rooms for each age group: infants, toddlers, transitional preschool and pre-K.Slemp Gaming Hub: Located on the third floor of the C. Bascom Slemp Student Center, the room features gaming PCs as well as Xbox Series X, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch consoles. All gaming equipment is set for online and cloud gaming. The room is open seven days a week for free play and students can reserve a console and compete in intramural sports gaming seasons throughout the year.Outdoor Intramural Multipurpose Court: A new outdoor court is also ready for students to relax and have some fun. The multi-purpose court is designed to play half-court basketball, full-court basketball or pickleball. The court features an NBA layout with both NCAA and NBA regulation three-point lines. The lighted court will be the hub of a newly reinvigorated intramural sports program.Don R. Pippin & John C. Wyllie Hall: With a new name and vision, the former College library's transformation into a state-of-the-art nursing education facility is well underway and expected to be completed by year's end. Pippin-Wyllie Hall will house brand-new classrooms, nursing skill labs and simulation rooms. The facility is aimed at expanding learning opportunities in nursing and improving healthcare across the Southwest Virginia region.Burchell "Slew" Stallard Baseball and Cavalier Softball fields: UVA Wise also broke ground for newly turfed surfaces for the baseball and softball teams. Slated for completion for the spring 2024 season, the estimated $3.8 million project will replace the existing natural grass softball and baseball fields with Field Turf Triple Threat and Field Turf Double Play Natural respectively. The new athletic fields are possible from generous private support and donations. Nearly half of the donations have been committed as part of the ongoing "Honor The Future "Campaign. Demolition has begun on both fields, and construction is expected to take four to six months. These field enhancements complement a state-of-the-art FieldTurf XT Dual Slit Film Turf System at the Beaty-Richmond Field at Carl Smith Stadium on which the women's lacrosse team played their 2023 season and on which the football team is currently competing.Academic Success Center: The College's new Academic Success Center, located on the second floor of the UVA Wise Library, debuted this fall as well. Providing a welcoming environment for students to study, collaborate and succeed, the Center features tutoring rooms, workstations and a variety of study spaces. Expert staff, new academic interventions specialists and peer tutors offer one-on-one or group support at the Center, which is also the home to a newly created peer mentor program, the Mentorship and Adaptability Program (MAP) initiative, to help first-year, Pell Grant-eligible students, especially those who are low-income or first-generation Highland Cavaliers, find their way to personal and academic success. In July, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) awarded UVA Wise a four-year, $354,000 grant to establish the program.Humphreys-Thomas Field House: The College's athletic weight room received Activ Plus flooring with inlaid logo platforms. New state-of-the-art equipment was installed including Sorinex equipment and accessories, 10 Base Camp racks and Power Block Pro dumbbells. The upgraded weight room will serve more than 350 student athletes on campus.New Academic ProgramsUVA Wise's first cohort of graduate students began their coursework this fall. The College's Master of Education program enrolled 22. UVA Wise also debuted a new online program designed for associates degree holders to finish their bachelor of science degree in business administration and management in two years or less.Courses were added hospitality and tourism management, and a new Chair of the Business Department, Professor Gurkan Akalin, is further developing the curriculum for the data analytics program, an interdisciplinary program that will bring more applied data analytics capabilities to a student's education and help their degrees in in marketing, health care or other fields have more diversification.Experience What it Means to be a Highland CavalierProspective students and families are invited to experience UVA Wise at the College's Upcoming Prospective Student Tailgate on Nov. 4 from 9 a.m. to noon. The event allows students to learn about academic and student life offerings, tour campus and enjoy a pre-game tailgate lunch, and cheer on the Cavs in a football match-up with Carson-Newman. Register now at uvawise.edu/visit.