Guest Editorial: The future of Appalachia starts at home

By Dr. Darrin Martin, President, Bluefield State University

Every community in southern West Virginia should be asking the same question. Who will build our future? 

These are urgent questions. Who will design our roads and bridges, modernize our manufacturing plants, develop the next generation of mining technology, and solve the engineering challenges we cannot yet imagine?

These questions were at the heart of Bluefield State University’s recent Engineering Appalachia Executive Roundtable. Leaders from business, government, and higher education gathered for a conversation about a complex issue: preparing the workforce our region will need in the years ahead.

Our panelists came from different backgrounds, but one theme kept surfacing. The opportunities are already here.

Too many young people grow up believing success requires leaving home. For generations, some of our brightest students have packed their bags and built careers elsewhere. That can change.

Delegate Chris Toney put it well during the discussion. “We want our talented young people to know they do not have to leave the state to build a successful career.” He is right.

The future of southern West Virginia depends on keeping our own young people here. That starts with showing them what is possible.

Conn-Weld Industries President Marvin Woodie made an observation worth repeating. Engineering is about solving problems, he said, and there has never been a better time to enter the profession. Employers want graduates with practical, hands-on experience, and demand for skilled engineers keeps growing. Those opportunities exist across the country and right here in our own communities.

That is why Bluefield State views itself first and foremost as a workforce provider. Our responsibility extends beyond awarding degrees. We prepare students for meaningful careers and help employers find the talented professionals they need to grow. Those two goals go hand in hand.

We cannot accomplish that mission alone. The strongest message from our roundtable was about partnership. No single university or employer can do this on its own.

That collaboration requires K-12 schools introducing students to STEM early, employers offering internships and mentorships, legislators committing to workforce development, and universities listening to industry and adapting to change. That collaboration is already underway.

Bluefield State’s new Master of Science in Engineering Technology is one example. Developed in response to workforce demand, the program gives working professionals and recent graduates advanced technical and leadership skills while helping employers fill a growing need for engineering talent.

Students and families increasingly recognize the value of an education connected directly to careers. As Bluefield State experiences enrollment growth, we are seeing firsthand that students want programs that lead to opportunity. Communities that invest in their people build their own future.

During the roundtable, Bluefield State alumnus and U.S. Small Business Administration Regional Administrator Jim Spencer described universities as “matchmakers,” connecting talented students with employers who need their skills. I could not think of a better description.

Our role is to create those connections, help students discover possibilities they may never have imagined, prepare graduates who are ready on day one, and strengthen the communities that have entrusted us with that responsibility for more than 130 years.

Building the future of Appalachia takes more than one institution, one business, or one elected official. It takes all of us working together.

If we keep investing in our students and believing in the potential of this region, I am convinced our greatest export will become their ideas, their innovation, and their leadership, created right here in southern West Virginia.

Dr. Darrin Martin is president of Bluefield State University.