Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College (Southern) is a public community college with its main campus in Logan, West Virginia. The college is part of the West Virginia Community and Technical College System.
Southern was founded in 1960 as the Logan and Williamson branches of Marshall College and renamed as branches of Marshall University when Marshall achieved university status in 1961. Southern was granted community college jurisdiction over Logan and Mingo counties. Initially, campuses were housed in buildings vacant by the respective Boards of Education during the desegregation of public education. The two branches merged and became a stand-alone community college in 1970. With the reconceptualization of higher education in West Virginia, the Board of Regents was created in 1969 and voted to change the name of the College to Logan-Williamson Community College and then again in 1971 to Southern West Virginia Community College. Since that time, the College has continued to expand its academic programs through workforce development and community service offerings. In 1976, the West Virginia Board of Regents established formal service areas for each of the state’s public community colleges and universities. Southern served approximately 1,900 square miles, including the counties Boone, Logan, Mingo, and Wyoming. In 1981, the College’s service area expanded through an interstate agreement with Kentucky, which allowed students from Martin and Pike counties to attend Southern at the in-state tuition rate.
In 1995, with a renewed emphasis on workforce development and technical training, the state legislature changed the names of all community colleges in the state to emphasize their technical components. Southern’s name became Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. In addition to the name change, Southern’s service district expanded by 3: Lincoln, McDowell, and Raleigh. McDowell and Raleigh were identified as shared counties responsible for providing education opportunities with two other community colleges. Currently, the college serves its region throughout six counties Boone, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mingo, and Wyoming and strives to fulfill its mission by providing education and leadership to its students and diverse community. Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College’s mission statement is to provide accessible, affordable, quality education and training that promotes success for those we serve. Southern has established educational agreements with various public and private colleges and universities, facilitating local access to baccalaureate and master’s degree programs. These agreements establish local access and additional opportunities for those who pursue education with Southern. These agreements leverage multiple education modalities, including on-campus instruction, traditional education methods, hybrid, and online courses.