‘A world of opportunities’

From its founding as a two-year junior college designed to expand higher education opportunities in the Appalachian coal-mining country of Southwest Virginia, the University of Virginia’s College at Wise has expanded into a four-year liberal arts college with an influential impact on regional economic and workforce development.

Many of the programs of study at the college have evolved in response to student interest, as well as workforce demands from growing regional industries such as health care, education, information technology, and hospitality and tourism.

“Here at the college, we really try to lean into our region and support new opportunities through our academic programming and engaging students through internships and service projects throughout the community,” says Donna Price Henry, who has served as U.Va. Wise’s chancellor since 2013. “One thing we heard from our students as they were leaving to head off into the workforce or continuing on to graduate school was the need to understand big data, so data analytics came onto our radar as something our students were interested in learning more about.”

U.Va. Wise is currently developing its Institute of Applied Data Analytics, which will open in Darden Hall in spring 2024 and be led by Gurkan Akalin, the new chair of the college’s Department of Business and Economics. Prior to joining the faculty in August, Akalin served as assistant chair for administration and an associate professor at Eastern Illinois University’s Lumpkin College of Business and Technology.

“Data analytics is an exploding area,” says Akalin, who also will serve as the institute’s executive director and a professor of business analytics. “When you think about it, every industry uses data in one form or another, whether it’s journalism, real estate, marketing, finance, human resources, transportation or banking. We are all consumers of data, as well as generators of data. We need to teach our students how to use this data in a responsible way.”

Starting out as a vehicle for research and consultancy, the institute plans to develop and offer academic programs — pending approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia — that will provide students with a foundation in applied data analytics. In spring 2024, U.Va. Wise’s Business and Economics and Mathematics and Computer Science departments will begin offering classes in data analytics and modeling, artificial intelligence, and data visualization and analytics. Akalin says the institute will eventually develop certificate programs and workshops to assist regional businesses and provide employment opportunities for students.

“We want to provide skills and knowledge to enhance students’ education and prepare them for careers which will be useful to local companies and increase economic development in the region,” says Akalin. “The mission is not to just train and graduate these students, but to keep them here in Southwest Virginia.”

The institute also plans to branch into topics such as AI and applied analytics in fields such as accounting, cybersecurity and cloud computing, says Akalin. Additionally, the college is in the process of developing a new master’s degree program related to data analytics, with the aim of launching it within the next few years.

“We want to be at the forefront of the new technologies that are shaping businesses and organizations,” he stresses. The institute will also support and conduct research collaboratively with college faculty, and consult with local businesses and governments to support their needs.

The institute, Henry says, “will provide much-needed consulting services and research to fuel businesses and entrepreneurial efforts in the region. Our programs will train and equip students to succeed after graduation in those emerging fields on day one and even create startups for new innovative businesses of their own.”

Akalin, whose background is in industrial engineering and business administration, has considerable hands-on business experience that he plans to bring to the classroom. His time in the corporate world includes roles as a quantitative and data analyst for financial services firm Morningstar and as an operations analyst for Norfolk Southern.

Progressive ‘Rock’

In addition to overseeing the institute, Akalin is helping to develop the college’s hospitality and tourism program, which is also under the umbrella of the U.Va. Wise Department of Business and Economics.

“We are at the center of a growing region, just one hour from Bristol and Kingsport, [Tennessee], in the Southwest corner of the state, and about two hours from Knoxville and Nashville, Tennessee, and Asheville, North Carolina,” says Akalin. “It’s an extremely picturesque area that’s very attractive to tourism in terms of scenery and access to outdoor activities. This region has so much potential, and U.Va. Wise wants to be part of that innovation.”

The college recently hired its first hospitality and tourism management assistant professor, Cherry Brewer, who has taught hospitality courses internationally, including serving most recently as an assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management at North Carolina’s Western Carolina University. Her industry experience includes a stint as a tour guide in Bangkok, working in a hotel in Paris and operating a restaurant in Australia.

Southwest Virginia, Henry says, “is looking to reinvent itself in the tourism and hospitality industry, with a number of boutique hotels on the horizon and the new Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Bristol, Virginia, which will bring numerous jobs and provide tourism potential for the region.”

The first casino to operate in Virginia, the temporary, 30,000-square-foot Hard Rock Bristol opened in July 2022 in the former Bristol Mall. The $500 million-plus, 90,000-square-foot permanent Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol is under construction nearby, with plans to open in July 2024. The temporary casino has created about 600 jobs, and when the permanent casino opens with a 2,200-seat theater next year, it is expected to generate 1,300 direct jobs and bring in more than $21 million in annual tax revenue for Bristol. (The temporary casino has generated $24 million in its first 10 months.)

“We’ve already had conversations with the CEO of the Hard Rock, indicating that internships will be a big part of that opening and noting that they want to engage with our students as they go through their academic programs,” Henry says. She stresses that U.Va. Wise is “looking to build a program that will not only partner with that facility but will also support the region more broadly in the areas of tourism and hospitality.”

Marina Alvidrez, vice president of human resources for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, says the casino “is excited to partner with U.Va. Wise. We look forward to supporting students in the college’s new hospitality and tourism program. As U.Va. Wise students from Southwest Virginia want to remain here in the region to pursue hospitality and tourism careers, Hard Rock wants to work with those students to offer rewarding and enriching career opportunities.”

Career launch pad

A new hospitality and tourism management major will be available at U.Va. Wise in fall 2024, pending approval of the college’s Academic Program Committee, and will offer courses in foundations for business management and specialized segments of hospitality and tourism, including hotel and lodging management, tourism development, event planning, food and beverage, business ethics, and casino operations. These six courses will be the cornerstone of the college’s hospitality and tourism undergraduate program. Additionally, pending approval from SCHEV, U.Va. Wise plans to offer a certificate program in hospitality and tourism management.

Brewer is currently teaching two hospitality and tourism courses, an introductory course and a marketing class. “These new classes will provide great transferable skills that students can use in many parts of their education and their lives,” she says. “We are building a program so students will have both the soft and hard skills that will be essential in this emerging industry in our region.”

Internships and experiential learning will play a key role in the hospitality and tourism major.

“We plan to work with local tourism organizations in this region so our students can gain hands-on experience, establish connections and network, which will provide a pathway for their future careers,” Brewer says. “We’re also making connections with local businesses like wineries, hotels, the upcoming casino and other hospitality-based organizations in the region that can provide career opportunities for our students.”

Students enrolled in the hospitality and tourism major will be eligible for up to 21 hours in internships with local businesses and will be encouraged to work in the industry in conjunction with their classes.

“If students have experience working, for example, at the casino or in a hotel management position, we would like to count that experience as part of their curriculum credits,” Akalin says. “We don’t want our students to feel that they need to learn everything in their classes; we want them to take advantage of the opportunities and the industry around us.”

Hospitality and tourism studies are not only focused on hotel and restaurant management, however, Brewer notes. “The industry combines so many different sectors,” she says, “including transportation, health care, theme parks, resorts, airlines or working as a tour guide. A student can get a business foundation through this program and work in any industry they like. Education is the key that will open the door to a world of opportunities.”

U.Va. Wise’s hospitality and data analytics programs are being designed to work together to support economic development and workforce needs in the communities and industries surrounding the college, as well as encouraging students to remain in the area after they graduate.

“Economic development is critical to the continued growth and success of our region and our students’ future careers and lives,” Henry says. “The institute and our new business programs are building a foundation to provide the skills, education, internships and research opportunities to prepare them for cutting-edge careers.”

At a glance

Founded
Founded in 1954 under the umbrella of the University of Virginia as Clinch Valley College in Wise County, the University of Virginia’s College at Wise was established to serve students living in Southwest Virginia’s mountainous coal-mining country. The public liberal arts college was started on a farm with two sandstone buildings and operated as a junior college throughout the late 1950s and 1960s. The college began offering four-year degrees in 1966 and was officially renamed the University of Virginia’s College at Wise in 1999. Today, the campus encompasses 396 acres amid the scenic Appalachian Mountains, with 26 main buildings serving more than 1,900 students, just 60 minutes from the Tri-Cities of Tennessee and Virginia. 

Enrollment*

Undergraduate: 1,907
Graduate: 22

Student profile*

Male-to-female enrollment ratio: 1:17
In-state students: 83%
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) students: 12%
Out-of-state students: 5% (outside ARC)
International students: 35 students from 20 countries

Academic programs*

U.Va. Wise has 33 majors and 40 minors, including a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree, an online business administration degree and a new Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in curriculum and instruction. Fields of study include business and economics, visual and performing arts, natural sciences, communications, mathematics and computer science, social sciences, language and literature, history and philosophy, nursing, and education.

Faculty and staff*

U.Va. Wise has more than 100 full-time and 30 part-time faculty members. Students and faculty are supported by 230 full-time and 30 part-time staff members.

Tuition, fees, housing and dining*

Virginia resident: $11,780 per year
Out-of-state resident: $32,530 per year
ARC/TAG** resident: $12,508 per year
Housing: $7,058 per year
Meal plans: $5,299 per year (commuter meal plans are also available)

*Fall 2023 enrollment numbers
** Students who live in Kentucky, Tennessee or the Appalachian Region Commission’s service area