Published: May 05, 2009 11:44 pm      

MSU gets approval for doctorate program

Establishment of two new campuses also announced

Mountain State University is growing.

University officials will officially share the results of the recent reaffirmation of its accreditation, as well the establishment of a doctoral degree program in Beckley and the establishment of new campuses in Washington, D.C., and Mooresville, N.C.

A press conference is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. today at the John W. Eye Conference Center located at 500 South Kanawha Street to make the formal announcement.

“This is all great news for Mountain State University,” said Dr. Charles Polk, president of the university. “This gives us a new 10-year window before the next reaffirmation process.”

Polk said Kelli Mays, senior vice president and special assistant to the president at MSU, directed the preparation work done by the university for the accreditation process.

“It was a very monumental task that took a commitment from everyone across the university,” she said.

Mays said MSU embarked upon its self-study process nearly three years ago to prepare for its comprehensive visit from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC).

Polk said the university’s comprehensive visit took place during October 2008.

“It included not just a request for reaffirmation of its accreditation but seven change requests as well,” he said. “Everything we asked for was approved.”

Polk said the change requests will give the university additional opportunities and tools to serve the public.

One change request was to add four new sites, which are different from campuses.

“We will have three new sites in Pennsylvania and one new site in Florida,” Polk said. “We will also have a new master’s in nursing degree in Florida.”

The university had campus sites in Beckley, Martinsburg, Orlando, Fla., Hickory, N.C., and Center Township, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh, but also received approval to add two new campus sites in Washington, D.C. and Mooresville, N.C.

“This now gives the university seven campus sites,” he said.

Polk said the university hopes to begin program offerings in Washington, D.C. by June 30.

“It’s going to be at the U.S. Department of Agriculture graduate school facility,” he said.

Polk said the university also asked for approval to offer all of its programs online.

“They said we could do three in the beginning,” Polk explained. “So we’ll now offer online a master’s in psychology, a doctorate in executive leadership and undergraduate programs in legal studies. After one year, we will have permission to do all our programs online.”

Polk said it gives the university the ability to penetrate markets all around the world with all of its programs.

“This should dramatically increase MSU’s enrollment numbers,” he said.

The new graduate program in psychology is needed in West Virginia.

“We wanted to export that to our other campuses,” said Polk.

Polk says the new doctoral level program is the first offered by MSU.

“Between now and September, we’ll be gearing up to put in place here, and at our other campuses, an online doctorate in executive leadership,” he said. “It will be the first doctorate of its kind in West Virginia and maybe one of the first in the country. We are extremely excited about becoming a doctoral granting institution.”

Polk says these new changes make the university a major player in higher education.

“This puts MSU on the map,” he said.

Polk said these changes are on the same level as the school’s name change from The College of West Virginia to Mountain State University.

“For this little community here to have an institution offering a doctorate level degree gives Beckley something to feel proud about,” he said.

— E-mail: fpace@register-herald.com