INSTITUTE, W.Va. (Sept. 14, 2022) – West Virginia State University (WVSU) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Region signed a memorandum of understanding today, the first of its type between the two organizations, to promote partnership and opportunities.

The MOU, signed today by WVSU President Ericke S. Cage and EPA Region 3 Administrator Adam C. Ortiz, will further the success of WVSU, its students, and the broader community, in alignment with the EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment.

“As a historically black land-grant institution, West Virginia State University is committed to the work of transforming our students lives through excellence in education and improving our community through research and innovation,” said President Cage. “This exciting partnership helps to further this work by providing our students, faculty and staff with access to the vast expertise, resources and career opportunities offered by the EPA. I want to thank Administrator Ortiz and the entire EPA Region 3 team for being here today and for making this partnership a reality.”

“The most significant gains we make in environmental protection come from partnerships like these,” said Ortiz. “We are thrilled to support students and faculty from such an historic institution in their learning and career development.  After all, they are the one who will lead West Virginia's next phase of environmental protection and the economic revitalization.”

The objectives of the MOU are to:

• Support student learning, internships, career development and employment in environmental sciences and related fields, both at EPA and with surrounding organizations and communities,
• Enhance WVSU’s environmental sciences curriculum,
• Promote faculty and EPA employee professional development,
• Provide WVSU faculty and staff with technical assistance support,
• Build capacity to increase WVSU’s participation in federal programs, and
• Identify community and regional partnership opportunities in support of environmental stewardship, with a focus on environmental justice.

West Virginia State University is a public, land-grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi-generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service, and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.

Follow West Virginia State University on Facebook, Instagram @wvsu_official, and Twitter @WVStateU.