History

Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College was established as an open-door, comprehensive community college on July 1, 1971 (named Southern West Virginia Community College) by combining two existing branches of Marshall University. Through legislation enacted in March 1995, the College’s name was changed to Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College. Both the Williamson and Logan branches had been in operation since 1963 under the academic, fiscal, and administrative control of Marshall University, providing primarily the first two years of liberal arts, teacher education, and career programs in secretarial science, and radiologic technology.

The College's first permanent building was dedicated in Williamson in 1971. From 1971 to 1974 Southern expanded its program offerings and enlarged its community service offerings. In 1974, the College expanded its operation to off-campus sites in Mingo, Logan and Wyoming Counties. This expansion continued until 1976 when the West Virginia Board of Regents established informal service boundaries for all the state's public colleges and universities. Southern West Virginia Community College was assigned a service area of 1,900 square miles to provide undergraduate education and community service.

In 1975 facilities were acquired in Wyoming County; in 1977 the Boone County Center was established; and in 1979 a permanent campus facility was dedicated in Logan.

In 1981 the College expanded its service area again, this time by interstate agreement. Students from Martin and Pike counties in Kentucky were permitted to attend Southern at in-state fees. This agreement was reviewed again in 1989 and 1995 with approval by the West Virginia State College System Board of Directors, the Kentucky Council on Higher Education, and the University of Kentucky.

In order to provide a variety of opportunities for our students, Southern entered into various educational agreements with several colleges and universities. The “2+2" agreement provides a seamless transition leading to the last two years of a baccalaureate degree after completing the first two years of the specified program at Southern.

Southern provides access to degrees and programs using alternative delivery modes, including distance learning and on-line instruction. These agreements are being updated and initiated with higher education institutions throughout the state and across the nation.

In 1983 the President of Southern appointed a Logan Capital Development Planning Committee to determine if new or additional facilities were needed for the Logan Campus. The Committee determined that the current facility needed to be expanded. Because of the Committee’s recommendations, a multi-purpose room was added, the library was expanded, a 500 seat theater was added, and offices were added at a cost of $3,166,155.

In 1986 property was purchased at Saulsville, West Virginia for the new site of the Wyoming County Center. Construction began in January 1989, and was completed in December 1989. The cost of the project was approximately $1,963,035. In 1992, the Boone County and Wyoming County Centers were designated as campuses by the State College System Board of Directors.

As the student population increased, the need for larger facilities became evident. In 1982 the Southern West Virginia Community College Foundation purchased a building in Madison to house the Boone County Center. In 1983 the Board of Regents purchased the facility from the Foundation for $190,000. Renovation, totaling $384,498, was completed in 1987.

In March 1995, S.B. 547 defined eleven community and technical college districts throughout the state. The legislation also expanded Southern’s service district. Southern’s district now includes Boone, Lincoln, Logan, McDowell, Mingo, Wyoming counties and a portion of Raleigh County in West Virginia. Southern also serves eastern Kentucky students residing in Pike, Martin, Boyd and Lawrence counties through a reciprocity agreement.

Construction for a new Boone/Lincoln Campus began in the fall of 1996. This project is unique in that it involves a cooperative arrangement between Southern and the Boone County Board of Education. The 15,000 square foot facility was built on Board of Education property adjacent to the Boone Career and Technical Center. The project, one of two model projects of this kind in West Virginia, allows for the sharing of programs and services by both institutions. The facility, which was built at a cost of approximately $2 million dollars, was funded through the West Virginia School Building Authority, the State College System Board of Directors and Southern. The facility opened in April of 1998.

Southern has also made great strides in providing educational opportunities to isolated geographic areas in our service district not readily served by one of our four campus locations. These satellite sites located at the Charles Yeager Technical Center in Hamlin, West Virginia and Harts High School in Harts, West Virginia, feature state of the art electronic interactive classroom equipment. These delivery sites offer many college-level courses to students who otherwise would be unable to further their education.

In 1998 Southern opened the Earl Ray Tomblin Workforce Development Center and Administrative Complex adjacent to the Logan Campus. This facility houses Administrative offices as well as modern training facilities for college and community use. The primary focus of this facility is business and industry training.

October 1, 1999, marked a culmination of a dream for the Williamson Campus and the surrounding communities. Southern hosted ground breaking ceremonies for a $2.3 million dollar state of the art library. The facility was funded by federal, state, and College dollars and serves as a vital link in providing improved educational options for citizens in southern West Virginia.

Higher education governance in West Virginia has undergone many changes over the years. In 1989 two governing boards were established to replace the Board of Regents. Southern was assigned to the Board of Directors of the State College System which has responsibility for governing the 10 four-year colleges and two freestanding community colleges in the state. In January of 1992 the Board of Directors designated the centers in Wyoming and Boone counties as campuses. As a result of legislative action in March 1995 the name of the College was officially changed to Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College and the district was again increased to include all of Lincoln and McDowell counties as well as a portion of Raleigh County.

During the 2000 legislative session, S.B. 653 was passed and resulted in substantial changes in the administration of higher education in West Virginia. The State College System Board of Directors was dissolved, effective June 30, 2000. A Higher Education Policy Commission was created in July 2000, for policy development and other statewide issues. Each institution is now governed by a local Board of Governors effective July 1, 2001.

Southern was founded as an open-door, comprehensive community and technical college and today is a part of the West Virginia Community and Technical College System. The College is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and has the most affordable tuition in the state.

Southern is dedicated to serving both traditional and non-traditional students in the district it serves. It is a place where you are a person and not an ID number, a place where you can work and get a degree too. We realize each student is unique with different needs and goals, so we provide a gateway for students to enhance their skills, explore new career options or seek a degree or certificate. We also provide classes through innovative delivery systems and agreements with four-year colleges and universities to assist students in completing advanced degrees. We pride ourselves on dedicated faculty and staff, with our faculty being some of the best educators in their field.

In recent years, Southern has been expanding its reach with new programs and facilities. In 2006, Southern announced the Academy for Mine Training and Energy Technologies in Logan, opened a new site at the Lincoln County Comprehensive High School in Hamlin, West Virginia, and added Dental Hygiene to its program offerings. Also in 2006, the College, in cooperation with the Southern West Virginia Community College Foundation, launched its first “Major Gifts Campaign” and implemented new school colors, black and gold. The Vision 2020 Major Gifts Campaign has a purpose of achieving a multitude of long-range plans for the future success of the institution.

On October 8, 2007, Southern joined seven other colleges and universities in dedicating the Erma Byrd Higher Education facility, a 33-acre site, in Raleigh County. Also in 2007, three new programs were offered by Southern; Respiratory Care Technician at the Williamson campus, Cosmetology/Salon Management at the Boone campus, and Survey Technician at the Logan campus. In December of 2007, five students were inducted into Southern's first Appalachian Leadership Academy based at the Williamson campus. Southern is partnering with Cotiga Development, Inc., to provide scholarships and mentoring opportunities for future leaders.

In January of 2008, the College welcomed students into a new 55,000 square foot Allied Health and Technology Center located adjacent to the Logan campus. These improvements have enabled Southern to bring students and the community the latest in technology while providing an affordable, quality education close to home.