(Photo by Brett Dunlap) Bernadette Occilien, a junior at West Virginia University at Parkersburg, along with other students installed routers and switches as part of the first day of their cybersecurity class at the new Innovation and Technology Center in Vienna.

VIENNA — Classes got underway Monday at the new West Virginia University at Parkersburg Innovation and Technology Center (ITC) as work is continuing on the facility as the vision of what the campus will become begins to come into focus.

There were 159 students and several faculty in class Monday in the former Ohio Valley University’s Stott Administration Building starting their coursework for the 2025-2026 academic year in Computer Science, Computer Information Technology, Cybersecurity and Network Administration.

“You can call it a labor of love,” WVUP President Torie Jackson said. “You can call it a dream come true.

“I am just so thankful for the hard work of so many people to get it to the point it is today.”

Renovation work to the former OVU facility has been going on for the past couple of years with the goal of getting some classes in place by the start of this semester. Work is continuing on the ground floor and the main floor of the facility on a variety of classroom spaces, offices and more. Work is expected to continue to get the third and fourth floors of the building ready over the next couple of years with fundraising campaigns planned.

(Photo by Brett Dunlap) Logan Nutter, a senior at West Virginia University at Parkersburg, works to install equipment as part of the first day of the cybersecurity class at the new Innovation and Technology Center in Vienna.

Jackson said the west wing of the ground floor will house the child daycare center, which will be able to accommodate 130 people. That is expected to be completed within the next month and opened sometime this fall.

Future plans are to get a restaurant set up in the former OVU cafeteria by early next year. Work is continuing in the annex building where the cosmetology program will be housed. Work is continuing on the former chapel space to make it into a meeting space/wedding venue that can accommodate around 400 people and it is expected to be done by February or March. Work is continuing on outdoor spaces and the renovated residence hall which is now expected to be open next semester after workers were redirected in order to get the ITC ready to open this month.

The residence hall is now expected to be open in January and is expected to house 55 students on the first floor starting out. Work will continue and the second floor is expected to be completed by August 2026 which will house an additional 75 people for 130 total.

OVU shut its doors in December 2021, amid financial and academic struggles. The WVUP Foundation announced in the Summer of 2023 it was purchasing the 225.22-acre property for $4.6 million as part of a $10 million gift from The Ross Foundation.

Jackson said university officials will be appearing before Vienna City Council in September to present the formal deed to the property where the new Vienna Elementary School will be built on the former OVU baseball and soccer fields.

(Photo by Brett Dunlap) West Virginia University at Parkersburg President Torie Jackson outside the new Innovation and Technology Center on the former campus of Ohio Valley University in Vienna. There were 159 students and several faculty in class Monday as classes in the new facility got underway.

Plans are in place for work to begin to expand 12th Street in Vienna to reach the campus. The university will also be meeting with city officials about funding to paint over the former Ohio Valley University sign on the nearby watertower.

Work is being done to have some businesses located at the ITC to provide business and learning opportunities for students.

There are also plans to eventually build townhouses close to the college and Jackson believes there will be other opportunities for other development to occur around the property with the number of people who will eventually be up on that hill from parents dropping off students and more who might need certain goods and services. Jackson said she has been told by people in the community this development is the biggest thing to happen to Wood County since the Grand Central Mall was built and in some ways it is bigger than the mall.

“What we have here is an opportunity to develop 255.22 acres within the city limits of Vienna,” Jackson said. “That is an opportunity that doesn’t happen very often.

“We have partnered with the Wood County Development Authority and with the city (of Vienna) to do what makes sense for growth. We are trying to focus on technology opportunities, improve transportation, improve childcare and we are giving more opportunities for economic development within Vienna.”

(Photo by Brett Dunlap) Work is continuing on the former Ohio Valley University chapel as it is being transformed into a large meeting space at the new West Virginia University at Parkersburg Innovation and Technology Center. Classes started Monday for a number of students doing computer related coursework while work is continuing on the facility.

Jackson has regularly talked about the “Vision” of what the property can become for WVUP and the entire community. With classes underway, it is the start of that vision coming together and becoming a reality through the vision and hard work of so many people.

“It was a dream that was written on a piece of white notebook paper and today we see students in state of the art classrooms and learning,” Jackson said. “What I have today is gratitude.”

(Photo by Brett Dunlap) Work is continuing at the new West Virginia University at Parkersburg Innovation and Technology Center in Vienna. Although classes began at the facility Monday for some students, work will continue on the building preparing it for business development and educational opportunities in the coming years.

(Photo by Brett Dunlap) A new entryway is being worked on outside the main entrance of the new West Virginia University at Parkersburg Innovation and Technology Center at the former Ohio Valley University’s Stott Administration Building. Classes started Monday for 159 students and several faculty. Renovation work on the building is continuing as more spaces will be opening over the next few years.

(Photo by Brett Dunlap) Students can be seen in an operational classroom at the new West Virginia University at Parkersburg Innovation and Technology Center in Vienna. Monday was the first day of classes for 159 students and several faculty at the facility. Work is continuing to renovate the building that was part of the former Ohio Valley University.