Reaffirming the commitment to its land-grant mission, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities has named WVU one of six finalists for its 13th annual Innovation and Economic Prosperity awards.
The awards include the following:
IEP Talent Award, recognizing exemplary initiatives in education and workforce development,
IEP Place Award, recognizing exemplary initiatives resulting in social, cultural or community development.
IEP Innovation Award, recognizing exemplary initiatives spurring innovation, entrepreneurship and technology-based economic development.
The six universities are also finalists for the IEP Economic Engagement Connections Award, the top prize recognizing overall excellence across all three award categories.
“Congratulations to our 2025 IEP Award finalists,” APLU President Waded Cruzado said. “Public research universities are major drivers of economic development in communities, states and regions. We’re excited to recognize the excellent work of our IEP Award finalists in meeting workforce needs, advancing community and economic development and fueling pathbreaking innovation.”
To be eligible for an award, an institution must first earn the IEP designation from APLU, which recognizes institutional commitment to regional economic development.
To earn the IEP designation, universities must conduct a rigorous self-study of their economic engagement activities that includes input from external stakeholders. As part of the self-study, each institution identifies areas for growth and improvement within its economic engagement enterprise, demonstrating a commitment to continuous learning and improvement in engagement vital to universities and its regional partners.
Other finalists include the University of California, Los Angeles, Clemson University, University of Georgia, University of Maryland and University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
The winners will be announced during the association’s annual meeting in November.