FAIRMONT, W.Va. –– The Fairmont State University Day of Giving is a 24-hour event to encourage alumni and the community to support the many programs at the institution.

On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” President Mike Davis said this year he’ll be engaged for the entire 24 hours and will skip the three-hour nap he had last year. Online “Day of Giving” programming begins at midnight with a message from President Davis, and throughout the next 23 hours, residents will hear about how the many programs at the university have changed lives and started careers.

“This year I’m cutting out the nap and going from midnight to midnight,” Davis said. ” We’ll do the kickoff for the first half-hour or so, then I’ll do live check-ins for about five or six hours, then we’ll do Good Morning Fairmont, a Good Morning America-style show, and we’ll go all the way to midnight.”

Fairmont State University boasts the largest percentage of residents attending at more than 90 percent in a variety of programs for liberal arts, nursing, aviation, and Middle College for young people aging out of the foster care system.

“You can direct it to any program you’d like,” Davis said. “We have 72 that are featured during the Day of Giving, but if there’s something you don’t see, you can call and make that donation, and we also have 35 to 40 matches, so if there’s something you’re interested in, there might be a match for it.”

Middle College is designed to help 18-year-olds aging out of the foster care system. The program gives them a place to live and educational opportunities ranging from finishing the work for a high school degree up to a four-year degree. The program is expanding to any 18-year-old soon, and Davis said he expects the program to grow and change along the way to help the students as best as possible.

“We’re going to see Middle College 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. This program is going to continue to develop,” Davis said. “We are starting with the premise that these students deserve an education, and then everything else we figure out from here on out will be determined by what best serves those students.”

The College of Business and Aviation includes Fairmont State’s Aviation Center of Excellence on the grounds of the North Central West Virginia Airport. New recent investments will not only grow the program but will also afford students more experience in the cockpit.

“We were the first aviation program in the state, and I say we are the best,” Davis said. “We educate about 65 students each year in the program, and we received some money from the state, so we’ll go up to 100 in the coming years.”

Davis said the Ivy League institutions and flagship institutions have had their day in the spotlight. Current economic conditions favor an institution that can quickly adapt to the needs of the community and area businesses.

“I think now what you’re seeing is a need for universities that are big enough to get things done but nimble enough to change to needs in the state and needs in industry, and I think Fairmont State University is at the forefront of that.”