By Sunni Moore

On July 31, 2023, the board of trustees at Alderson Broaddus University made the decision to close after a long-winded struggle with their finances. The news of the university’s closure was a shock to students, faculty, and community members as it was a last-minute decision. However, considering the situation, several universities in West Virginia announced their willingness to aid Alderson Broaddus students in transferring their credits to a new school, as well as the promise of tuition assistance, scholarships, priority application, and deadline extensions, Glenville State University being one of them.

With the influx of these new students, it is important that we hear their thoughts on the closure of Alderson Broaddus and how their transition to Glenville State University has been.

Payton Hawkins, a former Alderson Broaddus student and football team member, was just a week away from his junior year when the news was released. He said, “The news of AB closing down was an absolute whirlwind and something I never thought could be an actual possibility.” With only three days to decide, Hawkins chose to transfer to GSU.

According to Hawkins, the faculty, staff, and coaches made the switch easier than he expected. They helped secure his move to Glenville State by confirming his credit transfers, fall semester registration, housing assignment, as well as being cleared with the NCAA. “The easy part was all the housekeeping tasks I had to complete; the real challenge came when I got here and had to create new relationships with all new professors, coaches, teammates, and classmates,” he commented. While such a change can be scary, he feels that he has been treated as if he has been at GSU from the start.

“The biggest difference I've noticed between the two schools is the sheer number of resources that GSU has. The number of possibilities that are at this campus is definitely a good change,” Hawkins said, “Another big difference is the number of activities here are for students to engage in. It feels like every day I'm getting an email of an event that is going to be happening.” As for something he believes would make the GSU campus better, Hawkins stated “The only thing I think would enhance the campus is to explain what the buildings are as I really struggled with getting a grasp of where everything was the first week of class.”

Although many students are still unnerved by the shock of the summer, the unified support they received was helpful.. The West Virginia community held strong, pushing for the success of students on all fronts. Overall, students who transferred from AB have reported positive experiences and have begun embracing their journey as a Pioneer. Glenville State University is glad to have you.