08/04/2026
Dear Members of the Wesleyan Community,
As Buckhannon, Upshur County, and the surrounding areas continue the long work of recovering from the devastating flooding of July 21, I want to reflect on what I witnessed across our campus and throughout the community, while also expressing gratitude that West Virginia Wesleyan College’s campus is safe, fully operational, and ready to welcome students.
More than seven inches of rain fell within just a few hours, causing some of the most severe flash flooding our area has experienced in decades. Like many throughout the community, members of the West Virginia Wesleyan College family were directly affected. Some are still dealing with damage to their homes while caring for their families, assisting neighbors, and helping with recovery efforts that will continue long after the headlines fade.
I’m so appreciative of the dedication and engagement of our federal, state, and local officials, and the courageous and heroic acts, large and small, of our first responders, emergency management personnel and National Guard members during these difficult times.
During this difficult time, I also witnessed the very best of West Virginia Wesleyan College. When our community needed help, Wesleyan responded immediately.
We opened our campus, welcomed community partners, provided temporary shelter, housed volunteers, supported first responders, offered counseling services, and served as a central collection and distribution site for donated supplies. Families stranded by rising water found safety in our Performing Arts Center. Members of our faculty and staff opened their homes to colleagues and neighbors who had nowhere else to go. Employees whose own families had been affected still found ways to volunteer, check on coworkers, support recovery efforts, and ask, “What needs to be done?”
For nearly 136 years, Wesleyan has been part of the Buckhannon and Upshur County community. We are deeply rooted here, and helping and serving our neighbors is at the heart of our mission. There was little discussion about whether Wesleyan should help. We helped because service to others is part of who we are, and our neighbors turned to us because they knew they could count on us.
That trust has been built over generations through a culture grounded in compassion, service, and responsibility to others. During this crisis, faculty, staff, coaches, administrators, facilities employees, dining services, campus safety personnel, student affairs professionals, volunteers, and community partners worked together with a shared purpose. It is something in which every member of the Wesleyan community should take great pride.
As recovery efforts continue, that same spirit now carries us toward the beginning of a new academic year.
Unlike many of our neighbors, the flooding largely spared WVWC’s campus and facilities. Our facilities and grounds employees have carefully assessed our buildings, completed necessary cleanup and repairs, and worked diligently to prepare the College for the fall semester. To reiterate, our campus is safe, fully operational, and ready to welcome our students home throughout the month.
We understand that incoming and returning students, along with their families, may have questions after seeing images and reports of the flooding. Buckhannon remains the welcoming and caring community our students know and love. Recovery efforts remain active in affected areas, but the College is prepared for the semester, and we look forward to the energy and excitement our students bring to campus each fall.
Students who have experienced flood-related damage or hardship that could affect their studies, travel, or ability to return to campus should contact the Office of Student Affairs. We are prepared to provide direct assistance and connect students with additional resources. If you had a local storage unit over the summer, we suggest you contact the storage facility before you arrive to see if it was flooded and whether your belongings are okay.
Employees who have been personally affected should continue working with their supervisors and Human Resources regarding any support they may need.
Welcoming students back is an important part of our community’s recovery. Every classroom prepared, residence hall opened, practice held, office staffed, and student encouraged strengthens WVWC, Buckhannon, Upshur County, and the broader region we serve. Our students bring energy and life to this community, and their education, leadership, creativity, and service are essential to its future.
When our students arrive, they will not simply be returning to our beautiful campus. They will be joining a community that has demonstrated its values through action. Our new students will become part of a College whose people showed compassion, resilience, and leadership when their neighbors needed them most.
Recovery is measured not only by what we rebuild, but also by how we care for one another along the way.
To our faculty and staff, thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for your colleagues, our neighbors, and our students. I have never been prouder to serve alongside you.
To our returning students, we cannot wait to welcome you home. To our incoming students, we are excited to welcome you into the Wesleyan family, a family that answers the call to serve, stands together during difficult times, and believes deeply in the value of community.
Our neighbors still need us, and soon our students will be here with us. West Virginia Wesleyan College stands ready to serve both.
With gratitude,
James H. Moore, Ph.D.
President
West Virginia Wesleyan College
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