University of Charleston Snapshot

1316 full-time students in Fall 2007
(the highest enrollment since 1972)
33% first-generation college students
Average ACT of freshman class = 23
97% of graduates are employed or in graduate school in their fields of study within six months of graduation
More than 10% of students graduate in less than four years.
The #1 baccalaureate institution in WV and #15 in the Southeast (according to US News & World Report)
16 Division II varsity athletic teams
Conference champions in Women's Volleyball during 2007-2008 season
Located in the capital of West Virginia
One of 12 colleges nationally chosen as a model for the first-year experience
The example of a "culture of assessment," according to national leaders in higher education
A growing number of interns placed with local business each year
250 employees; $28 million operating budget; estimated annual economic impact of $56 million
14,000 alumni of record; 6,000 in the Kanawha Valley

Average GPA: 3.5
Average ACT score: 23
Average SAT score: 992
Essay/Interview: not required but recommended for scholarship opportunities
Application deadline: rolling
Application fee: $25 for paper application; no fee for online application

2300 MacCorkle Avenue, S.E.
Charleston, WV 25304
www.ucwv.edu
Admissions office 1.800.995.4682 / admissions@ucwv.edu
Financial aid office 1.800.995.4682

The New York Times Magazine profiled the University of Charleston in an article on the trend toward outcomes-based higher education on September 30, 2007. This historic coverage enhanced the University's growing national reputation as a leader in outcomes-based learning and assessment. >>

Beginning in 1995, the University of Charleston successfully developed a performance-based curriculum known as Learning Your Way. The focus is on student learning instead of faculty teaching. The curriculum requires students to be proficient in six areas deemed critical to a liberal arts education: citizenship, communication, creativity, critical thinking, ethical practice, and science.

Our comprehensive set of assessment tools lets UC prove students' return on their investment. UC students consistently rank above the 80th percentile on each of the indicators of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). In the first year of the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA), UC students ranked number 1 out of all participating colleges, showing the largest learning gain from first to final year.

In response to a severe shortage of pharmacists in rural West Virginia, UC launched its first doctoral program, the UC School of Pharmacy, in August 2006. Housed in a new building on the east end of campus, the school has been a phenomenal success. Its progressive curriculum, high-tech facility, and emphasis on experiential learning have attracted over 1,000 applications for the class of 80 that will begin in August 2008.

Encouraged by the success of the School of Pharmacy both in attracting phenomenal graduate students and in attracting high-achieving undergraduate applications, the Board of Trustees has made a decision to open a second graduate school, The University of Charleston Graduate School of Business.
The School of Business will occupy the second floor of the former Boll Furniture building downtown. The program targets students who want to earn an MBA in a hands-on, real-world environment, maximizing the students' exposure to business people and practical work experience. Charles Ryan, the founder of Charles Ryan Associates, West Virgina's largest public relations firm, is the founding dean.

Six of the ten buildings on the UC campus have been built in the last ten years. The Clay Tower Building, home to the math and science departments and the Schoenbaum Library, was the first new building on campus since 1969. Three new residence halls house 700 students in an attractive, modern campus community. The new pharmacy school opened in 2006 and the Morrison Fitness Center in January 2007. In partnership with the Kanawha County School Board, UC replaced the turf and added new locker rooms to UC Stadium, the former Laidley Field, to establish a home field for the Golden Eagles football team. The stadium boasts a climate-controlled guest box and seating for 18,000 fans. Triana Field provides first-class soccer and baseball fields following a $1.5 million renovation. UCis currently renovating the Watt Powell Annex softball field.

Plans are underway for a new athletic arena, an additional residence hall, a parking garage, riverside condominiums, and improvements to the student union.

Since 2001, the UC Entrepreneurship Center has provided start-up assistance to 28 companies, which have created 168 new jobs. In a related development, the University recently launched Golden Eagle Ventures, a $1 million university-based seed fund that will invest in early-stage West Virginia businesses with strong growth opportunities. UC is the first university in the state, and one of only a handful in the country, to develop a venture fund.
The Erma Byrd West Virginia Women Artists Gallery is recognized as a must-see local attraction and the city’s most beautiful high-tech meeting space. UC also shares its beautiful riverside lawn with thousands of guests annually for events like Symphony Sunday, Wine and All That Jazz, and Blues, Brews and BBQs. Add to that the thousands of hours of community service by UC students, athletic events and summer sports camps, and service by UC faculty and staff in various community leadership positions, and it’s hard to imagine Charleston without UC.

University of Charleston Snapshot

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