PARKERSBURG — West Virginia University at Parkersburg has received an $815,824 Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. government’s independent science agency.

The three-year grant will support the college’s Building a Pathway to Cloud Computing Careers in West Virginia project, which will implement WVUP faculty members’ ideas to improve technician education and create a new associate degree program aligned with industry demand.

“It is such an honor for WVU Parkersburg to be the recipient of a National Science Foundation grant. It takes months of planning to be eligible for these prestigious federal opportunities. Michele Wilson worked diligently to pursue this opportunity,” said Dr. Torie Jackson, president of WVUP. “For students, this is exciting as it allows us to pursue our two-year degree in Cloud Computing, a joint partnership with Amazon Web Services. Using curriculum and degree pathways that are esteemed in the technical industry allows us to elevate our programming and to provide the Mid-Ohio Valley students with a unique skill set that makes them marketable for many job opportunities across the globe.”

Enrollment opens Fall 2026. For more information, call 304-424-2274 or email wed@wvup.edu.

The program will prepare students for careers in cloud technology by teaching AWS-based infrastructure, cloud architecture, networking, security, and automation.

Students will gain hands-on experience with AWS tools and services, develop the problem-solving skills required for modern IT environments, and prepare for industry-recognized certifications leading to roles such as cloud support technician, cloud systems specialist, or junior solutions architect.

The grant will fund technology purchases, two new cloud computing faculty members, and a dedicated students success coach who will advise students, support academic planning, and help improve retention, according to Principal Investigator Michele Wilson, Dean of Workforce, Technical and Computer Information Science Division.

As principal investigator, Wilson will lead the initiative with Co-Principal Investigators Kurt Knopp, Charles Almond, and Olivia Reeder.

Knopp will work with business and industry partners to align the program with workforce needs. Almond will lead curriculum development, proposals, and academic approvals. Reeder will oversee marketing outreach for the new program.

“This is a prestigious and highly vetted national grant whose intent is to ensure that institutions of higher learning have the resources to implement programs with major impact on national economic development, national security concerns, and cutting-edge technologies. Being awarded the grant communicates the belief by the federal government that WVU Parkersburg has a well thought out plan to drive cutting-edge learning in our region,” Knopp said.

Wilson and Jackson began preparing the grant proposal in 2023 with mentoring and technical support from Mentor-Connect, which provides resources to help two-year college faculty write competitive NSF proposals. Mentor-Connect is an ATE project led by Florence-Darlington Technical College in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges.

“Mentor-Connect is a wonderful opportunity to connect with a mentor for any questions you may have with the NSF grant. Also, it is a way to connect with other successful NSF grantees and learn from their experiences,” Wilson said.

The ATE program focuses on the education of technicians who work in high-tech fields that drive the nation’s economy. Because two-year community and technical colleges are the leading sources of technician education in the United States, faculty from these institutions have played leadership roles in most ATE projects since the program began in 1993.