The event will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 12, and will honor Mingo Central students who plan to pursue education or training beyond high school. The program is sponsored by the College Foundation of West Virginia, a West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission initiative to help students go to college and succeed.
Gilbert said earning a high school diploma is an achievement, but working toward a college degree or post-secondary training is necessary in today’s economy.
“I always quote the U.S. Census Bureau when asked how much higher education is worth in dollars and cents,” Gilbert said. “The bureau issued a 2015 study that said a college master’s degree is worth $1.3 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school diploma. So, when West Virginia students choose to pursue an education after high school, they are making a decision that will pay real dividends throughout their lives. I applaud the students we will be recognizing next week at Mingo Central, as well as all Mountain State students who choose to further their educations after high school.”
Gilbert will join Dr. Paul Hill, chancellor of West Virginia’s four-year public colleges and universities; Dr. E. Gordon Gee, president of West Virginia University; and Dr. Robert Gunter, president of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, at Tuesday’s ceremony.
Inspired by the NCAA’s National Signing Day, College Decision Day is intended to reinforce that excellence in the classroom should be given as much pomp and circumstance as excellence on the playing field.
Any student who has committed to enter a certificate program, a career and technical program, a two-year degree program, a four-year degree program or military service will be honored during Tuesday’s event. Students’ families and friends, as well as members of the community, are invited and encouraged to attend.
West Virginia will host College Decision Day activities across the state throughout the months of April and May. For more information, visit www.cfwvconnect.com/college-decision-day.