WVU president teaches the past to inspire the future for middle school students

Combining his extensive interests in education, history and recruitment, West Virginia University President Michael T. Bensonis taking what he's learned about the Mountain State since becoming a resident directly to potential future Mountaineers.

"To fully understand a place, students of all ages should work to gain an understanding of its history, and West Virginia - more than so many other states - is defined by its origins during the Civil War," President Benson said about the focus of the history lesson he developed and taught to more than 200 eighth grade students at Mountaineer Middle School in Monongalia County Friday (Feb. 27).

"The students were interested and engaged, and our hope is we will one day see many of them in classrooms and labs at WVU."

The history lesson from the University's 27th president came out of a conversation between President Benson and Mountaineer Middle Principal Mike Rogers, a WVU graduate, who saw an opportunity to strengthen ties with the University.

"Anytime our students can hear from our state and community leaders, they get an understanding of the many opportunities available to them," Rogers said. "From the start, President Benson has been a great partner with Mountaineer Middle and we look forward to welcoming him back to our school in the future."

While supporting the University's land-grant mission, these kinds of in-school collaborations also benefit Monongalia County Schools and the larger community.

"We are grateful for President Benson's continued engagement with our schools, reinforcing that our students' bright futures can begin right here in Monongalia County," said Monongalia County Schools Superintendent Eddie R. Campbell Jr., who earned a history degree at WVU. "Partnerships with the University connect learning to real-world opportunities and show our students that higher education is both accessible and attainable."

With University alumni making up about half of the teaching staff at Mountaineer Middle, it and other public schools also serve as critical training grounds for the next generation of educators.

This academic year, 158 WVU candidates are completing residency or student teaching requirements across a variety of subjects in 14 West Virginia county school systems, including Monongalia County, along with school districts in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Maryland.

Within the elementary education programspecifically, more than 70 new teachers are expected to graduate from the University with bachelor's degrees in May and next year's graduating class will be bigger.

"WVU is the largest educator of new teachers in West Virginia and offers a range of educational opportunities across career spans, from preparing future teachers to supporting practicing professionals," said Nate Sorber, interim dean and associate professor for the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences. He joined President Benson for the West Virginia history lesson.

Along with undergraduate educator programs, the University offers advanced credentials for reading specialists through the Master of Arts in Literacy Education and the new Leadership Studies in Education master's degree, which can be applied to principal, supervisor of instruction and superintendent credentials.

"Higher education has the power to change lives," President Benson said. "By meeting middle school students where they are and being visible, we're encouraging them to think about the many possible educational and career paths WVU offers."

Find more information about teaching programs at the WVU College of Applied Human Sciences.

-WVU-

sj/2/27/26

MEDIA CONTACT: Shauna Johnson
Executive Director of Strategic Communications
West Virginia University
304-293-8302; [email protected]

Call 1-855-WVU-NEWS for the latest West Virginia University news and information from WVUToday.