West Liberty University and the W.Va. Higher Education Policy Commission are sponsoring two community meetings to be held on the WLU campus on Sept. 29.

A regional public forum will take place at 10 a.m. that date in the R. Emmett Boyle Conference Center at the Academic, Sports and Recreation Complex (ASRC). As HEPC is nearing completion of a five-year master planning cycle, it is holding forums throughout the state to receive feedback from community members, higher education officials and policymakers regarding the current master plan and to plan for the future. The WLU event will focus on economic growth.

That meeting will be followed by a community engagement workshop at 1 p.m. in the Alumni Room of the Student Union. The event, “Maximizing Our Impact: Supporting College Access and Student Success through Community Collaboration,” is part of a series of workshops. They are appropriate for anyone concerned with encouraging college access and student success, including campus staff and faculty, K-12 counselors and administrators, college access providers, community leaders such as Rotary or Kiwanis members, political leaders and administrators, faith-based leaders and counselors and community service providers.  The workshops will provide a framework for discussion among participants and serve as a platform to encourage further collaboration.

Both events are open to the public.

The state’s master plan for higher education, “Charting the Future,” was approved by HEPC in 2007. It identifies five key areas: access; cost and affordability; economic growth; innovation; and learning and accountability. Each of these topics will be covered at the regional forums to be held at WLU and four other state colleges or universities in late September and early October.

If you are interested in attending the events or would like more information, contact Jeff Knierim, Vice President for Community Engagement at WLU, at 304-336-8301 or jknierim@westliberty.edu.