BUCKHANNON — West Virginia Wesleyan College has completed another round of classroom renovations through grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education.  Students and faculty will notice major upgrades in ten classrooms:  Administration Building Room 22, Christopher Hall of Science Rooms 103 and 314, English Annex Room 11, Haymond Hall Rooms 120 and 121, Kresge Hall in the Martin Religious Center, Room 107 in McCuskey Hall, Middleton Room 214, and Room 300 in the Martin Religious Center.

The renovations include new flex seating, lighting, and digital upgrades that are designed for interactive teaching and learning. “I’m sure I can speak for the faculty when I say that these classroom renovations will be transformational,” said Dr. James Moore, Dean of the Faculty. “Providing faculty and students with comfortable, flexible, and up-to-date learning spaces is one of the most important things we can do, not only from a teaching and learning standpoint, but for recruitment and retention as well.”

In September of 2014, the U.S. Department of Education awarded Wesleyan a $10 million Title III grant, under the department’s Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP).  The program helps eligible institutions of higher education to become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of a college.

The grant, which is distributed over five years, was the largest grant of its type awarded to a college or university at the time.   It is used to improve strategies for student engagement and success with a strong focus on student retention and graduation rates.

The grant also included a $2 million Challenge match to increase Wesleyan’s endowment by $4 million.  Each gift to the Challenge is matched dollar-for-dollar by the federal government.  To date, the College has received $1,529,000 toward the $2 million challenge, which ends on September 30, 2019.