Early history The university was founded in 1933 as Beckley College, a
junior college, and continued as such until 1991, when it achieved four-year status and was renamed The College of West Virginia. In 2001, the school was renamed Mountain State University.
Later history Mountain State University's former president since 1990, Charles H. Polk, was widely credited for much of the school's previous success. However, many blamed Polk along with his senior administration and MSU's board of trustees when the university began facing issues over its continued accreditation. Polk and MSU's board of trustees were named as defendants in over 300 lawsuits arising out of the loss of the university's accreditation. A settlement was reached under which MSU admitted no wrongdoing. In 2009, Polk received over $1.8 million in compensation. According to
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Polk was the sixth-highest-paid private-college president in the country that year. However, according to Jerry Ice, then-chairman of the Mountain State University Board of Trustees, Polk’s actual 2009 salary was $450,000, and included a one-time deferred retirement package that the board established in 2004 and was required to pay out in 2009. As a means of recouping the funds for MSU, the board also purchased a $2 million insurance policy on Polk that will be paid back to the institution upon his death. On January 19, 2012, Jerry Ice, former chairman of Mountain State University's board of trustees, announced the termination of Polk's employment as president of Mountain State University. Richard E. Sours was chosen to replace Polk as interim president until the university's closing.
Loss of accreditation On June 28, 2012, the
Higher Learning Commission, the regional accrediting authority for the
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, withdrew the accreditation of Mountain State University, effective August 27, 2012. The date was subsequently extended until December 31, 2012, to allow the university to "teach out" those students close to graduation. On August 6, 2012, MSU's board of trustees formally appealed the withdrawal of MSU's accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission. On December 18, 2012, the appeals panel voted to sustain the commission's action. MSU's regional accreditation was terminated on December 31, 2012. All degrees conferred by MSU on or before this date are valid and are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. MSU closed effective January 1, 2013. In May 2014, the Mountain State University Board of Trustees filed a lawsuit against the Higher Learning Commission seeking to restore the university's accreditation. In 2017, the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia granted the Higher Learning Commission's motion for summary judgment, effectively ending MSU's lawsuit in favor of the Higher Learning Commission. On August 13, 2014, UC announced that a settlement had been reached between itself, MSU, and the plaintiffs in various lawsuits arising out of the loss of MSU's accreditation. MSU's insurance company established an $8.5 million fund to compensate affected students and MSU liquidated its remaining assets. The settlement was given preliminary court approval on October 6, 2014. Final court approval was given on March 9, 2015. MSU's former Beckley campus was sold to
West Virginia University. MSU ceased to exist as a legal entity on May 17, 2018. The
University of Charleston is the permanent custodian of MSU's student records. Transcripts from Beckley College, The College of West Virginia and Mountain State University may be purchased through the National Student Clearinghouse.
Reuse of campuses On August 1, 2012, the
University of Charleston (UC) announced that they would assist MSU in the 'teach-out' process, and would admit any MSU student in good standing who chose to attend UC. UC also announced that it would establish new four-year campuses on the Beckley and Martinsburg sites, to be known as the University of Charleston-Beckley and University of Charleston-Martinsburg, respectively. The University of Charleston established campuses on MSU's former Beckley and Martinsburg, West Virginia locations on January 1, 2013. UC later vacated the former Martinsburg campus (the property was sold to a third-party buyer), and established a new location in Martinsburg. UC vacated the former Beckley campus after the 2014-15 academic year and established a new campus in Beckley. On December 31, 2014, West Virginia University announced that it would purchase MSU’s former Beckley campus for $8 million. On September 1, 2015, the WVU board of governors approved a plan to move the West Virginia University Institute of Technology from its then-current campus in
Montgomery to the former MSU campus in Beckley. == Academics ==