05/11/2026
Sharing some news from our friends and partners at WVU Extension:
West Virginia University Extension, a unit within the WVU Division for Land-Grant Engagement, strives to improve the lives and livelihoods of all West Virginians by delivering relevant, research-backed educational programs throughout the state. These programs are designed to address critical issues that affect our communities, but periodically, needs can change.
This year, WVU Extension will launch a statewide needs assessment to ensure programs, opportunities, and initiatives exist within the Division for Land-Grant Engagement to address the needs of the communities, industries, and students we serve.
These efforts began this month with a series of listening sessions being held across the state. These open-forum events will include a brief presentation by WVU representatives, but the majority of the sessions will be allocated to hearing from stakeholders.
Upcoming listening sessions, including one TONIGHT in Kearneysville, will be held on the following dates at these locations:
• May 7, 6:30 p.m. – Jefferson County Extension Office, Kearneysville
• May 11, 7 p.m. – WVU Jackson’s Mill Assembly Hall, Weston
• May 14, 6 p.m. – Wood County Courthouse Annex, Parkersburg
• May 20, 6 p.m. – Eastern Community College, Moorefield
• May 26, 6:30 p.m. – WVU Building, State Fairgrounds, Fairlea
Community members who are interested in attending a listening session can register at: https://tinyurl.com/WVU-EXT
“Collectively, these stakeholder touchpoints will help identify current needs, guide the development of statewide and local program priorities, inform future research directions and support decisions on how Division for Land-Grant Engagement resources are allocated in the next five years as we work to carry out our mission,” Jorge Atiles, associate vice-president and dean of the Division for Land-Grant Engagement, said.
In addition to the listening sessions, the statewide needs assessment will include a stakeholder survey that will be available in late spring and run through late summer as well as targeted county meetings in the fall. WVU Extension and the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, both units in the Division for Land-Grant Engagement, are required by the US Department of Agriculture to document stakeholder input in their priority-setting process.
To learn more about the Division for Land-Grant Engagement, visit landgrant.wvu.edu.
