INSTITUTE, W.Va. — West Virginia State University President Ericke Cage is all set to advocate for university’s funding at the state legislature.
West Virginia legislative session starts this week
WVSU President Ericke Cage
WVSU President Cage will be an attendee at Gov. Patrick Morrissey’s State of State Address on Tuesday.
“We will be up there under the dome advocating for state match of our federal land grant fund, that is something we advocate for every year.” said Cage during his appearance on 580Live with Dave Allen on Wednesday.
He says the funding is essential because WVSU is a land grant institution and funding is crucial to sustain academic programs.
“My hope is that our legislators will continue their strong commitment towards education.” said Cage. “We also need our partners in state and federal government to also continue to be with us to help make sure that we have the resources needed to drive our missions forward.”
West Virginia State University has also begun the construction of agriculture research laboratory.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new laboratory was held back in Nov. 2024.
President Cage says they have begun the work on the agriculture research laboratory.
“We have begun the work, we have begun the planning of building that incredible facility of course as a joint partnership with the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.” said Cage.
The facility is named after the Purdy family who donated $2.5 to support the building of the new facility.
Cage also appreciated Purdy, who is a board member and a WVSU alumni for his generosity.
“When he heard us talking about the School of Agriculture, it really reignited his passion for agriculture and he stepped forward and made a transformative $2.5 million commitment to West Virginia State to be the benefactor of our school lab.
WVSU anticipates the facility will be complete by early 2027.
Story by Ananya Rautela