“ West Virginia is a very small state , and we have every problem in America , but we are small enough to be able to — if we stack our hands and have courage and have the will — solve our problems . We have to start right here and right now .”
This was the message Dr . Gordon Gee , president of West Virginia University ( WVU ), shared at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce ’ s 81st Annual Meeting and Business Summit this summer . As one of West Virginia ’ s most outspoken advocates , Gee recognizes the potential that exists in the Mountain State . He sees West Virginia ’ s greatness in every student he meets and every community he visits . This state ’ s greatest asset is its people , according to Gee , and as such , they deserve more than what they now have .
“ The people who dwell among these magnificent hills and hollows deserve lives as soaring and strong as our landscape ,” he told the summit ’ s attendees . “ They deserve economic security , stellar education and first-rate health care that would allow them to approach life on an even footing with every other American , but in this moment , many of them lack these essentials .”
This void is one of the reasons Gee returned to WVU in 2014 when he could have retired or returned to teaching . A lengthy career presiding over several prestigious higher education institutions would have been enough for him to hang his hat on , but when he first came to Morgantown in 1979 to serve as the dean of the WVU College of Law , he fell in love with this special little state . That love has fueled a passion that today drives him as
WVU ’ s 24th president . His position at the helm of the state ’ s largest university and largest employer and one of the country ’ s top research institutions gives him a unique perspective on West Virginia ’ s dire economic situation , and rather than sit idly by , he has rolled up his sleeves and put that passion to work for every West Virginian .
At the business summit , Gee announced the creation of West Virginia Forward , an initiative to address the state ’ s laundry list of woes in order to pave a new path to prosperity . Partnering with the West Virginia Department of Commerce and Marshall University and utilizing data and insight gathered by McKinsey & Co ., Gee is seeing his vision for WVU as a beacon of hope and a helping hand to the Mountain State come to fruition .
An Uphill Battle
West Virginia ’ s greatest weaknesses are not a budget deficit , an uneducated workforce , a struggling energy industry and an opioid epidemic . West Virginia ’ s greatest weaknesses are its debilitating lack of confidence , its unwillingness to take chances and its shortage of hope — deep-cutting issues that lie at the heart of all the other major problems .
“ Our state suffers from what I call negative elitism ,” says Gee . “ We can ’ t understand why anyone would want to work or live here . Instead of supporting success , we ’ re all too ready to tear it down . Likewise , we have believed our own bad press for too long , and we need to change that because we have a great story to tell .”
Just as harmful as poor self-confidence is West Virginia ’ s lack of intestinal fortitude .
While Gee acknowledges that change is difficult and trying new things can be scary , West Virginia has reached the point where not taking action is no longer an option .
“ If we want to transform this state , if we want to lead rather than trail among our peers , we must nurture fresh opportunities and prune the deadwood restricting our growth ,” he says . “ Our biggest obstacle has been our unwillingness to try for fear of failure . Some strategies succeed and some fail , but failure is not as perilous as inaction . Failure produces learning and adaptation in strength and action , and inaction only produces
ExEdge
As of July 2014 , Dr . Gordon Gee led his higher education peers in degrees conferred at a record 261,818 .
Source : WVU Libraries
inertia . As Franklin Roosevelt said at the height of the Great Depression , ‘ Above all , try something .’”
Gee has taken this quote to heart , and as a result , West Virginia Forward was born .
Inspired to Act
Gee ’ s vision for West Virginia Forward was inspired by a similar initiative during his tenure at Ohio State University ( OSU ) when the state of Ohio was facing challenges similar to those West Virginia is now struggling with . At the time , McKinsey & Co . was hired to work with Ohio ’ s governor and OSU to find solutions to the state ’ s dire situation . Inspired by the success experienced by the Buckeye State , Gee was certain McKinsey & Co . could dig deeper into West Virginia ’ s problems
“ If we want to transform this state , if we want to lead rather than trail among our peers , we must nurture fresh opportunities and prune the deadwood restricting our growth .”
Gee addresses faculty , staff , students and community members at the WVU State of the University in September . Photography by Greg Ellis .
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