West Virginia Chancellor Visits Zane State College

Chancellor Skidmore (right) tours the Willet-Pratt Training Center with Associate Dean Sally Francis.

Recently ranked number nine among two-year Colleges in the nation, Zane State College and the Willett-Pratt Training Center came to the attention of Chancellor Skidmore as he researched an appropriate model West Virginia should follow if that state pursues similar training centers for their two-year colleges.

“We have heard that the Willett Pratt Training Center is really doing some good work as far as meeting the needs of employers and delivering state-of-the-art training,” said Chancellor Skidmore. “This visit will be very helpful as we move forward with this concept at some of our own community and technical colleges in West Virginia.”

Chancellor Skidmore, who provides leadership to all of the community colleges in the state of West Virginia, viewed building layout, construction materials, program design, and the three-year strategic plan for the Willett-Pratt Training Center during his visit.

“We are always trying to be progressive, so we view this visit as both an opportunity to share best practices with Chancellor Skidmore as well as an opportunity for us to gain information from him about what works well in West Virginia,” said Sally Francis, Associate Dean of the Willett-Pratt Training Center. “With the Willett-Pratt Training Center working nation-wide through our Business & Industry Training, you never know what might result from Ohio and West Virginia working together.”

Francis spent time discussing the training center’s new, accredited Medical Assisting Program, which prepares students to become allied health professionals. Graduates will have an associate of applied science degree in Medical Assisting and can take advantage of job opportunities in such arenas as physicians’ offices, clinics, hospitals, and out-patient or ambulatory settings. The center has responded to area-employers needs by building a fully equipped, state-of -the- art laboratory.

“In just the last three years, we’ve grown from 10 to 12 credit classes per quarter at Willett-Pratt to over 50 separate sections per quarter,” Francis explained to Chancellor Skidmore. “This is a benefit to surrounding communities since we are progressively offering residents more and more close-to-home options for training. Our growth also benefits employers who, in many cases, are in desperate need for employees with appropriate technical training.”