November 18, 2015

Manchin and Capito Announce USDA Funding to Support West Virginia State University

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) today announced $1,798,667 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Funding will support research, teaching and extension activities at West Virginia State University, which is an 1890 historically black land-grant university.

“West Virginia State University continues to lead West Virginia and our nation by providing opportunities through innovative STEM research and world-class academics,” Senator Manchin said. “WVSU plays an important role in our state, and I am glad that the school will receive this important funding to enhance research, teaching and extension activities that will allow our students to thrive and help them succeed.”

“West Virginia State University has made significant contributions in research, innovation and development for agriculture and extension programs,” said Senator Capito. “I am pleased to see one of our own leading colleges here in West Virginia receive this funding. This funding will play a vital role to advance agricultural research and education that will encourage new break-through discoveries.”

The fiscal year 2015 grants for West Virginia State University are listed below:

Teaching

  • $299,940 – West Virginia State University: Funding will help high school teachers improve science education by recreating lab experiences in a way that reflects the same open-ended explorations of scientists. The program will establish a workshop that will promote a U.S. food safety focus at WVSU.
  • $599,688 – West Virginia State University: Funding will support the Healthy Grandfamilies Project by providing these families with workshops coupled with social work case management services. Their grant proposal states that West Virginia ranks fourth in the nation among states with grandparents serving as the primary caregiver for one or more grandchild. The majority of these grandfamilies are low income, have very little access to health care, have high rates of obesity and lack strong social support systems.       

Research 

  • $299,042 – West Virginia State University: Funding will support a project that allows college students the opportunity to involve themselves in various experiments dealing with horticulture, genetics, genomics, metabolomics and entomology, which will ultimately increase their chances of employment at various levels. 

Extension

  • $599,997 – West Virginia State University: Funding will go towards creating an agriculture training facility, develop and agricultural training incubator program and strengthen technical assistance to increase farmer’s success. This award will also help address the needs of farmers in the areas of production methods, market needs, safety, and economic development. They requested this funding, stating that is important for southern West Virginia communities where employment opportunities in the coalfields have steadily decreased. This particular grant can help grow the agriculture industry, providing alternative job opportunities for displaced workers.

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