The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission recently presented Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College’s Curtis Hakala with the Educator Award for his work providing students with open educational resources.

Elijah Stewart was awarded West Virginia University Institute of Technology’s First Year Student Excellence Award, and four graduating students were presented with the Leonard C. Nelson Presidential Leadership award.

The grant funding will expand the college’s Campus Cupboard into a larger and more accessible food pantry.

The Muskegon Area Promise expansion goes into effect for the Fall 2026 semester, with retroactivity to apply for students who graduated high school as long ago as 2015.

The new paramedic program and certificate options will be launched at the college’s Bedford campus location.

The college received three grants, including two from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) and one from the Ohio-Michigan (OH-MI) Basic Needs Initiative.

The late Sherman and Kimiko Petersen donated more than $5.2 million to the college, with an additional expected gift to come later in 2026.

The grant comes from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential and aims to combat food insecurity among students.

The scholarship has been established to assist students pursuing an agricultural education in honor of David Bahrman’s legacy as a farmer.

The new building will house programs for students in the Hutson College of Agriculture who are majoring in Veterinary Technology and Pre-Veterinary Medicine, as well as future students in the planned College of Veterinary Medicine.