FAIRMONT, W.Va. – The new leader at Fairmont State University, President Dr. Michael Davis, is settling into his role. On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” Dr. Davis said he’s already getting to know some students and faculty by first names and learning his way around the campus and community.
“I was really looking for a place where I could have an impact every day, and Fairmont State University checked all those boxes,” Dr. Davis said. “And it’s in an amazingly beautiful place in a community that really wants to support the university, and those were important to me too.”
As a first-generation college student, providing support to keep students on track is very important. Davis understands the majority of students enrolled are West Virginians, so helping students mitigate the challenges of day-to-day life improves morale and helps build a positive relationship between the institution, families, and students.”
We assume getting students to college is the important part, but actually once they’re here, those support mechanisms we put in place are the most important,” Dr. Davis said. And it’s especially true for first-generation college students.”
Dr. Davis said the effects of the coronavirus and mental health are very serious concerns for the university. The school has added a full-time social worker dedicated to addressing those issues, unlike a large campus where students can be unclear of all the resources available to them.
“We’re doing it head-on; we’re not putting “a person” as part of their job to take care of those pieces,” Dr. Davis said. “We’ve added a social worker to our staff, and we’re going to look for other ways to add student support, and we’re going to do it in a visible way.”
Dr. Davis wants to completely integrate the campus with the community. When he accepted the position, he said building coalitions was a top priority in his strategic planning approach and leadership style. He wants members of the community to make use of the campus, rent the facilities for private occasions, or attend sports and public events often.
“We’re going to open up our campus. Our campus is going to be a community resource. We want people to be on our campus,” Dr. Davis said. “And our students, faculty, and staff are going to be out in the community. That’s a challenge I’m issuing to everybody: think about new ways to engage.”
Davis has regular events planned called “Open Mike” sessions where he goes to a local spot to meet with community members, students, and faculty to learn what their questions or concerns are. Davis said he’s not interested in a single listening tour but wants to establish scheduled conversations in a relaxed setting.
“We’ve got the next couple months planned out, but we’re going to do these every month in perpetuity,” Dr. Davis said. “So, if people have other ideas of good places for “Open Mikes,” I will be happy to entertain them.”