Strong History  |  Future of Promise

Over the last 150 years, AB has relied on strategy, commitment, prayer, and the strength of its people to create an institution to serve and educate wonderful students whose impacts have been felt globally.

Formed in the shadows of a Civil War, serving as a beacon of education and hope through world wars, depression, times of prosperity and optimism, and times of unrest and pessimism, AB has persevered.

It has never been easy for AB to continue to be a “light on the hill.” Financial challenges have always been part of the story, but our mission has always prevailed. And, sometimes, being pushed to the brink resulted in creative innovation. In 1972, AB created the nation’s first 4-year baccalaureate Physician Assistant (PA) program to address the severe shortage of rural healthcare practitioners in Appalachia, and throughout the U.S. Our PA alumni have been recognized as leaders of the PA        Profession and exceptional clinicians worldwide. The AB PA program provided the template for success that many subsequent PA programs later modeled. In 2011, we implemented an athletic affinity recruitment model which has resulted in over 70% of our student body as athletes. We are proud of the contribution they make to the vitality of campus life.

The creative and tenacious “Battler” spirit has advanced AB’s important mission to the region and surrounding states for 15 decades. Currently, in addition to providing high-quality education to its nearly seven hundred students, AB has a $58 million annual economic impact on Barbour County and beyond.

In recent years, the new administration and reconstituted Board of Trustees and governance structure have successfully refinanced the institution’s debt into more manageable terms, rebuilt the confidence of the institution’s regional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, and maintained the academic excellence that has not wavered regardless of the institutional challenge.

AB is also fully accredited in all individual programs as required, including Physician Assistant, Nursing, and Teacher Education, and is authorized to offer degrees by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC).

We are now focusing on creating new pathways to a dependable financial future built on revenue and program diversification.

Our strategic priorities continue to focus on three areas: Increase Enrollment and Improve Retention, Expand and  Diversify Academic Programs, and Increase Organizational Efficiency. Progress has been made in each priority including improved retention, the addition of Master’s and Doctoral programs as well as extended learning (online and hybrid) programs targeted to non-traditional learners, and budget reductions to accommodate lower enrollment.

In addition, we have seen an increase in gifts this fiscal year including an estate gift of $1.47 million, and have applied for and received an earmark of $500,000 from Congressionally Directed Spending to upgrade our nursing simulation lab and a $200,000 grant to enhance the financial literacy of our students. However, there is more work to do as we still face a budget gap for the coming year.

Initiatives currently underway and planned for carrying AB forward over the next 6-12 months as we address longer-range plans include:

Building on existing relationships and programs, and creating new partnerships with other institutions of higher education:

  • Currently, AB shares a Title IX Coordinator with Davis & Elkins College and WV Wesleyan to create cost savings and efficiency. We continue to explore additional opportunities in administration but also in academic areas to leverage further efficiencies with these institutions which are geographically close and culturally similar to AB.
  • Creating academic feeder programs, leveraging our strong academic capability in an intimate setting, to prepare students for degree completion in larger university settings. We are currently finalizing details of providing years one and two of a two to three-year engineering program in conjunction with a large area university which will include their assistance in identifying aspiring engineering students not yet ready to enter the university’s challenging program.
  • Maximizing enrollment in hybrid graduate programs by sending an AB delegation overseas later this Spring to meet directly with potential students for our master’s and doctoral programs in Information Technology. These programs are open not just to US citizens but are also designed to fit with the goals of those who are in or seek to be in the US courtesy of the F1 Visa program, an Academic Student Visa program. The costs associated with this trip will be partially covered by our marketing partner for these programs.

Creating partnerships with area employers to provide online, in-person, or hybrid education:

  • Expanding the reach of our extended learning programs which include degree completion and adult education by working directly with area employers.

Our recently signed affiliation agreement with the West Virginia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is one example. This agreement provides flexible pathways to educate individuals to fill much-needed positions in corrections across the state and fits the needs of a large employer.

  • Focus on healthcare employers to build on our strong history and capability in healthcare education.

Seeking tenants for the former Broaddus Hospital Building

  • This 90,000 sq. ft building is currently vacant but was constructed in a manner that will allow relatively easy retrofitting for research or business use. It is currently being considered as a rural satellite location for an existing out-of-state sustainability project seeking a rural satellite location.
  • Our long-term vision is to create a Center for Rural Health and Sustainability with the above-mentioned project and other research and business entities filling the space.

 

These initiatives are a fit for our longer-term success and will help sustain AB as we develop a more comprehensive strategic plan.

Importantly, we seek the contributions of Alderson Broaddus Alumni and the broader community to raise immediate funds to help secure our future. Your support, along with these strategies, will allow us to continue to build enrollment and create additional income streams to bring our great University to financial stability and beyond.