University Of Virginia's College At Wise
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The University of Virginia's College at Wise (UVA Wise) is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...
adjacent to
Wise, Virginia Wise is a town in Wise County, Virginia. The population was 2,970 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Wise County. It was originally incorporated as the town of Gladeville in 1874. The town's name was changed to Wise in 1924, after Hen ...
. It is part of the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
, though separately accredited, and was established in 1954 as Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia.


History


Opening

The college was first conceived by local residents who petitioned the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
to establish a college in Wise. The decline of the Appalachian coal mining industry in the 1950s had led to a need for a higher education institution. As support for a college grew, the
Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
appropriated $5,000 to open, staff, and operate the college as a two-year
junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...
on a trial basis for a year; and if successful, another $5,000 would be available for a second year. In the winter of 1954, the local community matched the commonwealth's funds and collected over $6,000 to furnish the classrooms and use for supplies. Wise County donated over of property, the former Wise County Poor Farm, that included one sandstone building, Crockett Hall, which was used as an academic building. The campus was surrounded by land that was a former coal mining site. Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia opened in September 1954 with an enrollment of 100 freshmen, 2/3 of whom were Korean War veterans. Clinch Valley College became the westernmost state-supported college in Virginia. Prior to its opening, Virginia lacked public colleges west of Radford. In its early years, the college also acquired the building known now as Bowers-Sturgill Hall for use as faculty housing.


20th century

Clinch Valley College operated as a junior college throughout the late 1950s and 1960s. During that time, the college gained more support from graduates who wanted to complete their baccalaureate degrees at the same institution, and the college began the process to become a four-year college. The college granted its first Bachelor of Arts degrees in June 1970 and its first Bachelor of Science degrees in 1973. The college continued to grow and added new programs such as nursing and technology. In 1996, the college granted its first Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees. By 1959, two new academic buildings, the Science Center and Zehmer Hall, and the new Greear gymnasium were under construction. In the 1960s, Wyllie Library was constructed. During this decade, the college notably elected to transport a series of already-constructed residence buildings to the west side of campus for use as faculty housing, rather than construct new buildings. In the 1970s, the original Gilliam Center for the Arts, an McCraray residence hall, and Smiddy Hall, an additional academic/administrative building, were constructed. During the 1980s and 1990s, Cantrell Hall, then known as the Cantrell Student Union; the Chapel; a dining facility; a bookstore; and Asbury, Thompson, and Martha Randolph residence halls were all constructed due to a surge in enrollment to 1,000 students. Also during this period, the SEED Center, Resource Center and student apartments across Darden Drive were acquired. In 1999, the
Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...
renamed the school "The University of Virginia's College at Wise," following an unsuccessful effort to change the institution's name in 1991. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, UVA Wise expanded its focus on international education and signed three sister agreements with international institutions, along with initiating cooperative and mutual exchange programs for students and faculty at those institutions. In 1998, the college signed a sister institution agreement with
Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...
. A year later, it signed a second agreement with another Turkish university, Dumlupinar University in
Kütahya Kütahya (; historically, Cotyaeum or Kotyaion; Ancient Greek, Greek: Κοτύαιον) is a city in western Turkey which lies on the Porsuk River, at 969 metres above sea level. It is the seat of Kütahya Province and Kütahya District. In 19 ...
. In December 2000, the
University of Seville The University of Seville (''Universidad de Sevilla'') is a university in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. Founded under the name of ''Colegio Santa María de Jesús'' in 1505, in 2022 it has a student body of 57,214,U-Ranking Universidades español ...
in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
became the college's third sister institution.


21st century

Through the early 21st century, UVA Wise underwent rapid growth, with several new buildings and campus beautification projects to accommodate enrollment growth. New facilities from the early 2000s include Henson and Culbertson residence halls, the Slemp Student Center, a football field house and stadium seating, the new expanded library, the central lake, the Hunter J. Smith Dining Commons, the new Gilliam Center for the Arts, the $30 million David J. Prior Convocation Center, and Commonwealth (renamed in 2020 to Andrew J. Still and Lois Ann Roark Still) residence hall. The college also renovated and constructed an addition to the Leonard W. Sandridge Science Center; it is now LEED Silver certified. As of September 2010, the college offered 31 majors, 31 minors and 23 teaching specialties and had an enrollment of about 2,005 students. On February 2, 2012, UVA Wise saw the unexpected death of Chancellor David J. Prior. During his seven years as chancellor, the college experienced dramatic growth in student enrollment and facilities. During his tenure, the UVA Wise's five-year fund raising campaign, known as the "Fulfilling the Dream" campaign, exceeded its goal to raise $50 million. In April 2024, the college celebrated the opening of its new Pippin-Wyllie Nursing facility in the former location of the library, which at the time was called Pippin-Wyllie Library.


Convocation Center

State lawmakers and regional leaders joined college officials on July 1, 2009, to break ground for a $30 million Convocation Center, the largest single capital project in the college's history at that time. The facility seats 3,000 for sporting events and 3,600 for concerts or convocation activities. The facility provides the region with its first venue to seat large crowds, something economic developers have said is needed to boost growth and development in far Southwest Virginia. The facility opened in 2011. Shortly after the death of Chancellor David J. Prior in February 2012, the facility was dedicated in his honor and named the David J. Prior Convocation Center.


Campus

The University of Virginia's College at Wise comprises just outside of the small town of Wise. It is approximately from
Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It lies along the Holston River and had a population of 55,442 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city in the Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area, ...
and from
Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville () is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 7,754 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. Pikeville serves as a regional eco ...
. Crockett and Bowers-Sturgill Halls are two examples of a regionally-distinct architecture: simple buildings of local sandstone with shallow-pitched hip roofs and pronounced overhangs. In 2000, VMDO Architects completed an architectural palette plan that the school has followed since. The university is its own
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
, in unincorporated
Wise County, Virginia Wise County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county was formed in 1856 from Lee, Scott, and Russell Counties and named for Henry A. Wise, who was the Governor of Virginia at the time. The county seat is in Wise. Hi ...
. The school district serving the CDP is Wise County Public Schools. The series of small buildings on Clinch Valley Drive, some of which had been transported to the school in the 1960s, have been slowly supplanted by larger student residence halls. The remaining buildings have now been converted to fulfill other, non-housing, functions.


Academics


Accreditations

UVA Wise is accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...
Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate degrees. In addition, the college's computer science and software engineering degree programs are accredited by the
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology ABET (pronounced A-bet), formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., is a non-governmental accreditation organization for post-secondary programs in engineering, engineering technology, computing, and appli ...
(ABET), the nursing program is accredited by the
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is a nursing education accrediting agency in the United States. The CCNE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The commission's headquarters are in Washington, D.C. CCNE acc ...
(CCNE), the teacher education program is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), and the chemistry program is accredited by the
American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...
(ACS).


Departments

UVA Wise has ten departments: * Department of Business & Economics * Department of Communications * Department of Education * Department of History & Philosophy * Department of Language and Literature * Department of Mathematics and Computer Science * Department of Natural Sciences * Department of Nursing * Department of Social Sciences * Department of Visual and Performing Arts The college requires all freshmen to enroll in a one-semester seminar that covers adjusting to the demands of college academic work. The seminar used to cover two semesters, until it was modified in the 2012-13 fall semester. Before the modified seminar, the student's seminar instructor became his or her advisor until the student selected a major. Presently, if the student is unsure of the major that he or she wants to be in, the Advising Office becomes the student's adviser. The college has a 48-49 semester-hour general education requirement. The general education curriculum was recently redesigned, which involved a lessening of the hour requirement. Students must attend four cultural activities in each their freshman and junior years. The college offers 3 baccalaureate degrees in 34 majors.


Graduate Programs

In the fall 2023 semester, the college implemented its first graduate program, the M.Ed. under the Department of Education, which is a 30 credit-hour, non-thesis program. It is also developing an MSN program, and SACSCOC recently visited the campus to complete a change of level of its accreditation.


Student life


Greek life

There are two Greek life organizations on campus.
Sigma Alpha Omega Sigma Alpha Omega () is an American non-denominational Christian sorority for women, founded at North Carolina State University on January 5, 1998. However, they can trace their roots back to the once co-educational Chi Alpha Omega fraternity foun ...
is the sorority and Alpha Gamma Omega is the fraternity.


Student publications

''The Highland Cavalier'' is the student-run newspaper. The college also has a biannual literary journal, ''Jimson Weed''.


Athletics

The UVA Wise athletic teams are called the Cavaliers (formerly known as the "Highland Cavaliers" before 2017), The college is a member of the
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
ranks, primarily competing in the
South Atlantic Conference The South Atlantic Conference (SAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the southeastern United States. The SAC was founded in 1975 as ...
(SAC) since the 2019–20 academic year. The Cavaliers previously competed in the D-II
Mountain East Conference The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 11 schools, m ...
(MEC) from 2013–14 to 2018–19. Prior joining the NCAA, UVA Wise previously competed in the
Mid-South Conference The Mid-South Conference (MSC) is a List of college athletic conferences in the United States, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Member institutions are located in Kentuc ...
(MSC) of the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...
(NAIA) from 2010–11 to 2012–13 (with a partial provisional membership as a core member of the D-II Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) during their D-II transition within the 2012–13 school year); in the
Appalachian Athletic Conference The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Members of the conference are located in the Southeastern United States in Tennessee, Kentu ...
(AAC) from 2001–02 to 2009–10; the Tennessee Valley Athletic Conference from 1994–95 to 2000–01; and in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC; known as the River States Conference (RSC) since the 2016–17 school year) from 1971–72 to 1993–94. UVA Wise competes in 13 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf and tennis; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, softball, tennis and volleyball.


Accomplishments

Since moving to NCAA Division II in 2013, the school has claimed conference titles in softball and men's golf. Most recently, in 2018, their women’s lacrosse program went undefeated in the regular season and finished with a conference championship in their former home of the Mountain East Conference.


Student publications


Newspaper

The college's student newspaper, the ''Highland Cavalier'', published its first edition in 1955, two years after the founding of the college. However, the most recent edition was published in 2014, over ten years ago.


Television

, the college broadcasts student news on channel 55, a public access cable station, under the call sign CAV-TV.


Notable alumni

* Hakeem Abdul-Saboor, Olympic bobsledder * Jerry Kilgore, politician. During 1987 and 1988, Kilgore served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia. He was Secretary of Public Safety under Governor George Allen from 1994 to 1998 and was elected Attorney General of Virginia in 2001 by a wide margin. * Terry Kilgore, politician, elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1993; graduated from Clinch Valley College (now UVA Wise). * Randy Hippeard, professional football player. * Steven Williams,
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
personality known as Boogie2988, attended the school but did not graduate.


Demographics

The University of Virginia's College at Wise was delineated as a
census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
in the 2020 U.S. Census.


References


External links

*
Athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Virginia's College At Wise University of Virginia schools Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges in Wise, Virginia 1954 establishments in Virginia Universities and colleges established in 1954 Public liberal arts colleges in the United States