By: Dr. E. Gordon Gee
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what’s most important. As I spend time with my family this year, I will have much to be grateful for, including the privilege of serving as president of West Virginia University for the past decade.
Spending time with my grandchildren will also turn my thoughts to the future. A Gallup survey last year found a growing number of Americans worry whether today’s youth can expect a high quality of life.
As someone who spends time with young people every day at West Virginia University, I have a more optimistic outlook. And it is our students themselves that make me hopeful.
Today’s students are diverse, collaborative, fearless, globally aware and entrepreneurial. They are absolutely determined to make a difference.
Employers love our graduates. I think it is because of the independent spirit of the people and the fundamental moral fiber that runs through our University and the Mountain State.
As our students give me hope for the future, I would like to share some reasons I think they should anticipate success.
Our students have access to world-class higher education, which will open worlds of opportunity.
According to the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities:
- College graduates are half as likely to be unemployed as their peers whose highest degree is a high school diploma.
- Typical earnings for bachelor’s degree holders are 86% higher than those whose highest degree is a high school diploma.
- About 87% of bachelor’s degree holders report financial well-being, which is 20% higher than groups with any other level of education.
- Median lifetime earnings are $1.2 million higher for bachelor’s degree holders.
Nearly 4,000 of our undergraduates in Morgantown are first-generation students, and receiving a degree will create a better future for them and their families.
Unlike many college graduates these days, they will receive their degrees without accumulating burdensome debt.
Almost half of 2023 bachelor’s degree graduates from the WVU System had no federal student load debt.
That is because a West Virginia University degree costs 29% less than the average four-year school. It is also because we have invested heavily in scholarships to reduce the cost of attendance even further.
In 2022-23, we distributed more than $157.8 million in scholarships in Morgantown alone. In fact, more than 92% of freshmen in Morgantown receive scholarships.
The degrees our students earn provide hands-on experience in some of the world’s fastest-growing professions.
For example, our new robotics engineering program builds on the success of our long-existing research and mentorship in the field. Our student robotics teams have placed first at nine national and international competitions.
Our students are also at ground zero in the rapidly advancing field of neuroscience. At the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, they can conduct research with faculty mentors whose life-changing work has been featured in such places as “60 Minutes,” The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Another growing field is sustainability studies, and students in our major are learning how to solve global challenges while securing competitive paid internships.All this learning takes place in a supportive community, which is why we have achieved our highest freshmen retention rate ever this year.
Seeing our students succeed makes me hopeful for their future.
With bright futures ahead, our students can embrace an optimistic viewpoint. And doing so will make their lives and our communities even better.
Recent research, some of it conducted at West Virginia University, shows that hopeful people are happier, less lonely and more effective at reaching their goals.
Students who rate “high hope” on psychological tests earn better grades than their classmates.
Hopeful athletes are more competitive.
Hopeful professionals are more productive, more engaged, more resilient, more creative, less likely to experience burnout and far less likely to call in sick.
Living a life filled with hope even pays a health dividend.
According to a study by the Harvard School of Public Health, hopeful people are less prone to hypertension, diabetes and respiratory infections.
Moreover, hope appears to strengthen the immune system, promoting more rapid recovery from any illnesses or injuries.
Hope is a desire, a wish, an expectation. But most of all, hope is a catalyst for achievement.
On Thanksgiving Day, my family — like many of yours — will tune in to watch our talented Mountaineer Marching Band shine in the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Each year, hundreds of high school and collegiate bands apply to march. The “Pride of West Virginia” was one of only 11 bands selected for the 2024 lineup, and this is its second parade appearance in the past decade.
For our students, alumni and all West Virginians, let this be a moment when our hopes for the future soar.
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Feature image: From left: Nathan, Elly and Elizabeth Patrón, E. Gordon Gee, Eva Patrón, Laurie Erickson, Rebekah Gee, David and Ben Patrón.