From the Director
It’s an exciting time to be the development director for the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources & Design.
With a new dean on board, a WVU strategic plan that emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math, and a strong research agenda, the WVU Davis College and our land grant heritage have never been more important to WVU, the state, the nation or the world.
I believe in the goals and mission of the WVU Davis College and in its development capacity. The WVU Davis College is grounded in research, with successful alumni and smart and creative faculty and staff. Together we can develop aggressive fund raising goals and create a strong development program.
The WVU Davis College Development Office works to link those who wish to give with the research, programs, projects and students they would like to support. Our goal is to help donors see the impact their gifts make and the opportunities they have to create change, drive economies, solve problems, overcome challenges, and educate our future farmers, scientists, designers, nutritionists, economic developers, soil experts and more.
We have plenty of opportunities for donors to make a difference and transform lives across the state, nation and world. From scholarships for deserving students to grants for unique and cutting edge faculty research, opportunities to make change and drive innovation abound.
As a native West Virginian, having grown up in Burlington (Mineral County), I owe much to WVU. Thanks to scholarships, I earned my bachelor’s in journalism and went on to earn my master’s after working in newspapers for nearly 12 years.
My WVU education has afforded me success in several arenas. I bring to the WVU Davis College more than 12 years of development experience, 10 of which have been with WVU, and an extensive background in fundraising, marketing and communications. I came to the WVU Davis College at the beginning of 2012 after five and a half years with WVU Extension Service, where I raised more than $5.5 million for county 4-H programs and helped to find new funding sources for programming.
The WVU Davis College mission statement says that the college’s programs are designed to “impart knowledge, train future leaders, address critical issues and enrich the lives of the citizens of West Virginia.” I look forward to helping the college develop additional resources to enhance its mission, ensure success of its students and faculty and continue its innovative research and programs.
If you would like to know more about the opportunities we have at the WVU Davis College, please contact me at 304-293-2400 or julie.cryser@mail.wvu.edu.
Julie Cryser
Director of Development
304-293-2400
