Message from Dean Coben — October 2022

It’s amazing what can be accomplished in 10 years. It may seem like a long time, but in the context of higher education—and considering West Virginia University turned 155 years old earlier this year—10 years isn’t a lot of time. Yet, as a school, we made every year count. This week, we’ll celebrate the many ways we’ve made those years count, and I hope you will join us. 

We’ve come a long way since 2012, when we welcomed 179 students into the School’s three graduate degree programs, alongside 13 new faculty members. Since that time, we’ve earned accreditation—and reaccreditation—from the Council on Education for Public Health, making us the only fully accredited public health school in West Virginia. We’ve launched two new undergraduate and four new graduate programs; established the first and only public health and general preventive medicine residency program in the Appalachian region; invested in the overall student experience by expanding our student affairs team and programming; and graduated hundreds of new alumni, equipped with unparalleled training and ready to make an impact in public health. 

That barely skims the surface of what we’ve accomplished as a school. More importantly, it provides only a peripheral glimpse of the village that made it all happen. From our partners across the Health Sciences and throughout the university to our many collaborators in the community and supporters at the local, state and federal levels, we wouldn’t be where we are today without our collective village. 

And at the heart of that village is our students. Every student, past and present, who made the decision to pursue public health has played a crucial role in shaping our school’s legacy and purpose. 

Please join us Oct. 25-28 as we take time to acknowledge and celebrate the progress we’ve made. Our celebration begins at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25, as President Gordon Gee, Chancellor and Executive Dean Clay Marsh and many others help us kick off the festivities. You can learn more about our Anniversary Kickoff and panel discussion here and the remainder of our celebration events on this page. 

Thank you for choosing the WVU School of Public Health as the place to find and fulfill your purpose. You are a crucial part of our story, and I look forward to seeing the next chapter unfold. Let’s go!