U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) announced today that the New River Community and Technical College has been awarded $399,008 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program for the creation of a Rural Appalachian Distance Learning System to help increase access to higher education in southern West Virginia.  It is anticipated that the funding will be renewed for a total of $2 million over the next five years. 

“West Virginia has the lowest college graduation rate in the Nation,” said Rahall.  “New River’s Rural Appalachian Distance Learning System will help us correct this statistic and make sure that every working-student, single parent, and rural family can have access to higher education.”

Operating campuses in Beaver, Beckley, Bluefield, Lewisburg, and Summersville, New River Community and Technical College provides comprehensive, affordable, higher education and workforce training programs to traditionally isolated low-income students from Raleigh, Fayette, Nicholas, Webster, Pocahontas, Greenbrier, Summers, Monroe, and Mercer Counties.

This funding will allow New River to develop a Distance Learning System to address common institutional problems that limit access to learning opportunities and educational services, which are common to rural Appalachia.  Specifically, the funding will support an interactive video learning network with multiple access points throughout the service area and allow New River to improve the quality and quantity of online courses and train faculty in distance education.  It will also allow New River to convert their basic college services into an online format, allowing students to apply for admission, register for classes, pay bills, and receive academic advising via the Internet. 

"The New River Community and Technical College is bringing world-class educational opportunities to southern West Virginia," Rahall said.  "This funding will allow students to take advantage of the many programs New River offers and train for high-paying, high-tech jobs, without leaving the comforts of home."