News for WVU Potomac State College

When students in the WVU School of Nursing Keyser Campus program start classes this fall, they will be aided and assisted by the latest technology that will allow them to explore human anatomy with a view from the inside out.

WVU Potomac State College STEM and Physics professor Joan Vogtman was recently recognized for her efforts - both subtle and direct – in assisting students with known and unspoken disabilities on their paths to educational success.

The phrase "if you don't use it, you lose it," is most apt for students in the summer months – between the end of the spring semester and the beginning of classes in the fall. During that window, the academic brain can be on a temporary vacation. But now that we are at the halfway mark through “summer break,” it is time – say WVU Potomac State College instructors and mental health counselors – to start gently nudging the grey matter awake and get back to learning mode. 

Academically, there is something known commonly as “brain drain” or clinically referred to as the “curve of forgetting.” This curve is a psychological phenomenon that purports that memory retention declines over time when there is no active attempt to remember information. Discovered by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus, it reveals a steep drop-off where humans lose about 50% to 80% of newly learned material within a few days if that information is not reviewed.

Kinlei Birdsell wants to one day be a prosecuting attorney. Or she might be a forensic scientist. Or she might pursue other areas of criminology. Or she might seek an elected office and enter the arena of politics. The resident of Marion County has not quite made up her mind. And she doesn’t have to. At least not yet. She is only 14 years old.

For one glorious week in June for West Virginia University baseball fans, it seemed like it was Ben McDougal’s world and the rest of us mere mortals were just living in it.

But before he rose to national attention as the left-handed pitcher playing for West Virginia at the World Series of College Baseball in Omaha, McDougal was Catamount.

Cue Country Roads! Following WVU Potomac State College tradition, we concluded our 2026 graduation ceremony by singing “Country Roads”. As a Michigander, I am always blown away when the entire Church-McKee auditorium sings the song in unison, paying homage to the great state of West Virginia.  

As my wife Allyson and I cheered on the WVU Mountaineer baseball team in the College World Series, she couldn’t help but notice the nation’s fascination with West Virginians cueing “Country Roads” after every victory. The past 90 days have been a sprint and transition from closing out our spring semester, welcoming summer camps, and prepping for a delightful Fall 2026.  

With a commitment to service and a passion for teaching, Dr. Matthew Hottle has stepped into the director role at WVU School of Nursing Keyser Campus, located at WVU Potomac State College. The board-appointed chairperson and assistant professor of nursing at the College, Hottle looks forward to building on the success of the program and the future nurses it graduates. 

“My goals or objectives are to build upon the great foundation we already have in the nursing program,” Hottle said. “I want to expand on what’s already here and created. And of course, our goal as a department is continuing to produce quality nurses.” 

For the second consecutive season, a recent Potomac State alum and standout softball phenom, Skyla Compton, has been recognized among the nation’s elite, recently earning NFCA NJCAA Division II Second Team All-America honors, as announced by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Take a cup of sugar, two cups flour, a pinch of cinnamon, and some time spent in the classrooms of WVU Potomac State College, and you just might have the recipe for a popular and even delicious business.

A passion for baked goods and an enterprising spirit led WVU Potomac State College alumna Jenna Folk to open her own bakery.

Operating for the past six years from her home as Rollin' with Jenny,  Folk was finally able to open a storefront in November at 30 Church Street in Keyser.