Focus on UVA Wise: Affordability, Scholarships, and a Community-Based Model for Student Success

Chancellor Donna Henry discusses how matching funds for scholarships, growth that addresses regional needs, and a family atmosphere help UVA Wise serve Southwest Virginia and Appalachia.

Tucked in far Southwest Virginia and outside the attention span of major media markets, the University of Virginia’s College at Wise is the higher education success story you might not have heard about.

While media fixate on political battles, financial woes, and the perceptions about the value of a college degree—real issues to be sure—this closeknit liberal arts college stays focused on its extended backyard by:

• Increasing scholarships, financial aid, and enrollment
• Moderating tuition, and offering reduced tuition to Appalachian region students from other states
• Boosting regional economic development, entrepreneurship, tourism, internships, and job creation
• Establishing and expanding degree and certificate programs to address regional needs like nursing and teaching

If you were speaking to someone not familiar with UVA Wise, how would you describe it?
I would say it’s a vibrant, rural community where you know your neighbor, and they’re looking out for you. There’s such a rich, cultural community with things to do. And once you join this community, you’re embraced. This is home.

If you had to describe UVA Wise in one word, what would it be?
A gem. UVA Wise is a true gem.

What are the kinds of things that make you choose that description?
This community—everybody’s all in. We believe in our work, believe in our students, and believe in the community that surrounds us. UVA Wise is their college and will do whatever it can to help them be successful. They can really rely on us as a member of this region.

What gives you satisfaction about being Chancellor?
The direct impact. One of the things that attracted me to higher education was teaching. I loved being with the students. I enjoyed being in the classroom and helping them fulfill their goals in life. And, as I moved into administration, you kind of lose that direct contact.

But being at Wise, the size of our college, I get to know our students. And while I might not be in the classroom with them as much as I used to be, I do get to see the impact we have on them. Many of our students are first-generation students. Many of them might not be able to afford college.

So the work that we do in fundraising and bringing in scholarships and ensuring that our students get the support that they need lets me see them come in and then graduate. We really change their lives and their families’ lives. And that is just so important to me.

By now, you probably had the experience of reconnecting with returning alumni. That must be satisfying.
I get to hear about them and see their families. It’s just wonderful. And then I look back and think about when they were freshmen and what they aspired to do and maybe some of the struggles that they had along the way, but they were able to get that degree and go on to meet their goals.

That’s just so enriching. And as much as social media might be a headache, the thing I love about it is that the students who connected with me when they were here have stayed connected over the years. So, I get to watch their families grow over time, which is a lot of fun, too.

How do you balance wanting to move an institution forward but also respecting the things that people loved about the place from years past?
That’s part of the learning: getting to know alumni and donors and hearing their stories and what was important to them.

I must say that my vision for this place really hasn’t changed much since I came here. It’s really focused on our students’ success and then connecting to our region and helping our region to be successful. Those two things have stayed the same in my mind. But the strategies that we’ve used have grown over time.

Now, having a team that I fully recruited and brought to the college that I feel has the right mix, we’re all headed in that same direction together to get the college to its next level.

What has stayed consistent about you?
What has not changed for me is that I just try to be my authentic self with whoever I’m talking to—students, parents, colleagues, our supporters. I think that is the best way for people to know me and to know my vision. The other thing I think that hasn’t changed about my leadership is that you have to have a total respect for everyone you’re working with. And, to really lead them, you have to respect them and where they are.

The Bicentennial Scholars Fund, which uses institutional matching funds to amplify the impact of gifts for scholarships, has existed for 10 of your 13 years in Wise. Can you describe its help?
The Bicentennial Fund has been transformational for UVA Wise. We have 98 scholarships and close to $60 million worth of funds that we can use to support our students. Affordability is so critical for us and for helping our students to achieve their educations. Without those funds we wouldn’t be able to do the good work that we do.

One of the scholarships, the Smith Scholars program, is a full-ride scholarship for students studying at the college. The number of students who have told me that they would not have been able to come to UVA Wise or to go to college if it were not for those scholarships is unbelievable. Right now we have 138 Smith Scholars and we have about 1,400 undergrads. So that’s amazing. It’s a big deal, a really big deal.

Donor response was amazing, and all of the matching funds were used. Have you seen anything quite like the Bicentennial Scholars Fund
I have not. And the impact on donors was incredible. When I would talk about giving to the college and say, “If you give, we can get a match,” it just really opened doors and let people think about giving at higher levels because they wanted to get that higher level of match. From the donors’ perspective, it’s just as important for them to see the students succeed as it is for them to see their gift happen.

You established a Bicentennial Scholarship in honor of your parents, right?
When my parents first visited UVA Wise, they immediately understood our students and their needs. Because they have always valued education, they created scholarships to honor my late sister as well as my grandparents. Some funds focus on undergraduate research while others support access to higher education. When Bicentennial Scholarships were introduced, it was a no-brainer to my parents to make even more of a positive impact on students. Eventually, they set up an endowed scholarship in honor of me, which inspired me to start one in honor of them as well!

What’s next for UVA Wise?
We are focusing on growing with purpose. This fall, we introduced two new programs: a Master of Science in Technology Management and Data Analytics and an undergraduate major in finance. We’re continuing to increase enrollment, and, like the University, we’re exploring possibilities to enhance our success through our next strategic plan.