By ERIC AYRES For The Times Leader MOUNDSVILLE — West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee told representatives of the Marshall County business community Wednesday that opportunities are at hand for West Virginians to invest in one of the state’s greatest assets — themselves — to help pave the way to a bright future. Gee entertained a full house of area business leaders who filled the Moundsville Center Wednesday night during the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner. One could argue that he rallied a seemingly captive audience — as the center literally is located inside the former West Virginia State Penitentiary’s tall stone walls and razor wire fencing. But the captivated crowd welcomed Gee’s charming demeanor, his unwavering advocacy for West Virginia and his optimistic vision for the state’s future. A key theme to Gee’s message focused on steps being taken to make West Virginia a place where people can thrive and where people want to live, work and raise their families. “We want them to stay in West Virginia,” he said. “In fact, I dote about the fact that I’m going to build a wall around West Virginia and have Ohio pay for it.” The former president of The Ohio State University – as well as Brown University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Colorado — has been a champion of the Mountain State since returning to serve his second tenure as WVU president in 2020. Gee said communities in this part of the country are in a perfect position to capitalize on today’s trend of migration away from the metropolises. “People want to leave these vertical cities,” he said. “They no longer want to live in these big cities where their quality of life is somewhat limited.” WVU is focusing on three main priorities: education, healthcare and prosperity, Gee said. “Everyone needs an education,” he said. “That’s what we believe at the university. We also believe that we need to make sure that people have an education that is very applied and one with which they can find great jobs, achieve great things and raise great families.” Gee said an ongoing effort at WVU has been to reach out to top talents that have left the state and create opportunities for them to come back. “We want our people to return home, but more importantly for our young people who are here, we want them to stay,” he said. “That means we need to find ways for them to build their future here.” Healthcare is another pillar to the foundation of making West Virginia’s future a solid one, Gee noted. “No one should have to go over the Ohio River or any other place to get great healthcare,” Gee said, describing WVU’s mammoth effort to expand its renowned health care network to Marshall County, Wheeling and beyond in recent years. “We now have bought 24 hospitals. We help them provide high-quality, world-class health care.” The key ingredient of prosperity comes from creating jobs, Gee said, noting that West Virginia has an opportunity to “reinvent ourselves” by using its array of assets, advantages and unique natural resources that are of great value in the job market of not only tomorrow but today. “The opportunities, I think, are just absolutely incredible. In West Virginia, we have an opportunity to write our own story. If we invest in ourselves, if we believe in ourselves, if we believe in our children, and if we believe that we can — in this small state — set an example that we can take to the world, then we’re going to be enormously blessed. “We have, in my view, a very bright future.” Gee did not accept a fee for his appearance at Wednesday’s dinner, so the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce presented a check in his honor to WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital as a token of their appreciation. Also during the annual dinner Wednesday night, the Chamber presented several awards. The annual Dr. David Ealy Community Service Award went to Bernie Twigg, and the Lifetime Achievement Award went to MEDC. The event was hosted by master of ceremonies Karin Janiszewski, regional director of marketing and communications at WVU Medicine. Quinn Yoders sang “The National Anthem,” Rev. Tim Wilt delivered the invocation and a special appearance was made by this year’s WVU Mountaineer, Mary Roush of Mason, W.Va. — only the third woman to serve as the school’s mascot and the first freshman in WVU’s history to take on the coveted role.

MOUNDSVILLE — West Virginia University President E. Gordon Gee told representatives of the Marshall County business community Wednesday that opportunities are at hand for West Virginians to invest in one of the state’s greatest assets — themselves — to help pave the way to a bright future.

Gee entertained a full house of area business leaders who filled the Moundsville Center Wednesday night during the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner. One could argue that he rallied a seemingly captive audience — as the center literally is located inside the former West Virginia State Penitentiary’s tall stone walls and razor wire fencing. But the captivated crowd welcomed Gee’s charming demeanor, his unwavering advocacy for West Virginia and his optimistic vision for the state’s future.

A key theme to Gee’s message focused on steps being taken to make West Virginia a place where people can thrive and where people want to live, work and raise their families.

“We want them to stay in West Virginia,” he said. “In fact, I dote about the fact that I’m going to build a wall around West Virginia and have Ohio pay for it.”

The former president of The Ohio State University – as well as Brown University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Colorado — has been a champion of the Mountain State since returning to serve his second tenure as WVU president in 2020.

Gee said communities in this part of the country are in a perfect position to capitalize on today’s trend of migration away from the metropolises.

“People want to leave these vertical cities,” he said. “They no longer want to live in these big cities where their quality of life is somewhat limited.”

WVU is focusing on three main priorities: education, healthcare and prosperity, Gee said.

“Everyone needs an education,” he said. “That’s what we believe at the university. We also believe that we need to make sure that people have an education that is very applied and one with which they can find great jobs, achieve great things and raise great families.”

Gee said an ongoing effort at WVU has been to reach out to top talents that have left the state and create opportunities for them to come back.

“We want our people to return home, but more importantly for our young people who are here, we want them to stay,” he said. “That means we need to find ways for them to build their future here.”

Healthcare is another pillar to the foundation of making West Virginia’s future a solid one, Gee noted.

“No one should have to go over the Ohio River or any other place to get great healthcare,” Gee said, describing WVU’s mammoth effort to expand its renowned health care network to Marshall County, Wheeling and beyond in recent years. “We now have bought 24 hospitals. We help them provide high-quality, world-class health care.”

The key ingredient of prosperity comes from creating jobs, Gee said, noting that West Virginia has an opportunity to “reinvent ourselves” by using its array of assets, advantages and unique natural resources that are of great value in the job market of not only tomorrow but today.

“The opportunities, I think, are just absolutely incredible. In West Virginia, we have an opportunity to write our own story. If we invest in ourselves, if we believe in ourselves, if we believe in our children, and if we believe that we can — in this small state — set an example that we can take to the world, then we’re going to be enormously blessed.

“We have, in my view, a very bright future.”

Gee did not accept a fee for his appearance at Wednesday’s dinner, so the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce presented a check in his honor to WVU Medicine Reynolds Memorial Hospital as a token of their appreciation.

Also during the annual dinner Wednesday night, the Chamber presented several awards. The annual Dr. David Ealy Community Service Award went to Bernie Twigg, and the Lifetime Achievement Award went to MEDC.

The event was hosted by master of ceremonies Karin Janiszewski, regional director of marketing and communications at WVU Medicine. Quinn Yoders sang “The National Anthem,” Rev. Tim Wilt delivered the invocation and a special appearance was made by this year’s WVU Mountaineer, Mary Roush of Mason, W.Va. — only the third woman to serve as the school’s mascot and the first freshman in WVU’s history to take on the coveted role.