Long-time development professional Julie R. Cryser has accepted the position as president for the Fairmont State Foundation effective April 22.

Cryser comes to the Fairmont State Foundation having served as the assistant dean of development and alumni relations at the WVU Eberly College of Arts & Sciences. Prior to that position, Cryser worked as the assistant dean in the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources & Design for three years, previously serving as the director of development there since January 2012.

“I am very excited about coming to the Fairmont State Foundation,” Cryser said. “Fund raising for Fairmont State University means ensuring students are able to afford college. It means that faculty and staff have additional resources to offer the best education possible. And I’m awestruck by the quality of programs and possibilities.”

Cryser spent nearly 19 years in development, communications and alumni relations at West Virginia University, having raised more than $30 million to support scholarships and student and faculty opportunities as a front-line fund raiser since 2006.

At the Eberly College, she has helped to raise more than $3 million in the last five months. During her time in the Davis College, she ensured the College reached and exceeded its campaign goal of $24 million, assisting Davis in ending the campaign at $30 million. As a part of the campaign, Cryser helped to secure the college’s second-largest donation in its history, a $6.7 million gift from the Hazel Ruby McQuain Trust to support renovations of the equine facilities on the J.W. Ruby Research Farm in Reedsville, WV.

She was also instrumental in the development and coordination of the College’s Young Innovator Program, which assisted students with developing innovative ideas and businesses. She also secured funding to hire a Farm Credit Student Leadership Academy Coordinator, a position that will work with students who receive private funding for undergraduate research, education abroad and other value-added experiences.

On the communications side of advancement, Cryser lead a Davis College team that published a 150th anniversary history book to celebrate the College’s milestone anniversary. Under her guidance, the college increased communications, including producing two magazines per year, a monthly alumni newsletter, videos and internal communications.

Cryser began her career at WVU in 2001 in the Reed College of Media, then known as the P.I. Reed School of Journalism, as a public relations and alumni coordinator and adjunct news-editorial lecturer. She moved to WVU Extension Service in May 2006, where she served as the development director. WVU Extension reached and exceeded its initial $4 million State of Minds campaign goal under her tenure.

“The Falcon family welcomes Julie as our new Foundation President.” said Gary LeDonne, Chair of the Fairmont State Foundation Board of Directors. “Julie has an extensive background in higher education fund raising and enabling her to lead the Fairmont State Foundation to new heights.” 

Prior to joining WVU, Cryser worked as a reporter and editor in newspapers throughout West Virginia and Pennsylvania, having earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from WVU in journalism and graduating with honors. She is married to Dave Hickman, a retired sports writer, and has two children, Grace and Annie.

On Friday, April 12, Fairmont State history was made when Jed and Vicki Smith donated $1M to the Fairmont State Foundation. This historic gift will create the Jed and Vicki Smith Scholars endowment which will award scholarships to full-time students. This is the largest gift received from a living alumnus in university history.

Giving back has been important to Mr. and Mrs. Smith since they settled in Charleston in 1990 and knew they wanted to be involved with making a difference in their community. The Smith’s built a successful car dealership in Charleston and expected that the business would be their legacy. After retiring in 2016, the couple realized that their idea of legacy had changed into a mission of sharing. 

“His legacy was not what he did to make a living, it was what he did that made a difference.” Mrs. Smith said of her husband. “Making a difference in a student’s life is our goal with this gift, and we are hoping that it will. Supporting students that are going to be able to carry on in their education and go forward, that’s really the legacy. The legacy of giving, the legacy of giving back.”

A North Central West Virginia native and Naples, Florida resident, Mr. Smith says Fairmont State taught him the value of persistence. He earned a business administration degree from Fairmont State while working 27 to 35 hours per week at a supermarket on Country Club Road to earn his tuition. Not only did he pay his own way through school, he provided financial assistance to two of his Theta Xi fraternity brothers. Mr. Smith says that college didn’t come easy for him, that he worked hard to succeed. After graduating with honors in 1968, he planned to attend law school. Instead, he was drafted into the WV National Guard during the Vietnam War.

The oldest of four children, Jed Smith credits his parents for his success. His mother and father were told by a high school guidance counselor that he should not be encouraged to attend college and that he probably wouldn’t be successful as a student. They didn’t share the counselor’s advice until after Smith graduated from Fairmont State. 

“My parents never bothered to tell me what I couldn’t do.” Mr. Smith said. They felt that he could accomplish anything if he set his mind to it and harnessed the energy to figure it out. When asked what advice the Smiths have for current students at Fairmont State University, Mr. Smith said, “Never give up.” Mrs. Smith followed with “We fail, we grow, we learn, but the reward is self-worth.”

More than 85% of Fairmont State students rely on financial assistance to complete their degrees. “The majority of students who do not make it to graduation highlight financial need as their primary reason for withdrawing.” said Gary K. Bennett, President of the Fairmont State Foundation. “Scholarships play a critical role in easing financial pressures and reducing the need for student loans.”

Dr. Timothy Oxley, Interim Dean of the School of Business said “With the majority of our students receiving financial aid, and with many more who must work to afford the cost of their education, scholarships help to provide qualifying students with additional resources which allow the recipients to focus more on their education and less on how they will pay for it. Beyond the obvious financial impact, scholarships often provide recipient students with an academic buoyancy as a sign of confidence in their ability to succeed - and they rise to the challenge.”

President Mirta M. Martin echoed the importance of the perseverance that Fairmont State University graduates are known for. “I tell every student in our Falcon Family, ‘I’ll make you a deal: if you bring a passionate willingness to work hard and pursue your dreams, and if you stick with it, we will provide you with everything you need to achieve those dreams.’ With the help of Jed and Vicki Smith’s generous gift, we can keep that promise and keep students on track to graduate.”

The Jed and Vicki Smith Scholars endowment will provide scholarships for full-time undergraduate students at Fairmont State University who have a minimum G.P.A. of 2.5. Thirty percent of the endowment will be allocated to students of the School of Business. The remaining seventy percent will be available to any qualified Fairmont State University student.

This gift was made through the Fairmont State Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of Fairmont State University.

The Muscle Car Mafia has evolved in its 25 years to be a community-minded group committed to supporting worthy causes. Each year, the organization holds fundraising and promotional events and chooses one local charity or cause to support. Over the past five years, they have donated more than $15,000 to local charities.
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When asked why they chose to support scholarships this year, the members said the choice was easy.  

“The available match from the Fairmont State Foundation allowed us to have double the impact with our gift,” replied Nick Fantasia. As part of the scholarship campaign, the Fairmont State Foundation agreed to match donations dollar for dollar up to a total of $250,000.

As Fairmont State alumni, the group members feel the common thread between all Falcons is the high-quality education they received and the doors that have opened for them as a result. Group member David Lester said of his education at Fairmont State, “It allowed me to assume the position of Corporate Director of Training with Applied Industrial Technologies which is a 2.9 billion-dollar company and that was absolutely a dream.” 

The goal of the Every Gift Matters campaign is to fill the scholarship gap that currently exists. Many scholarships only provide support for two years of education.  In order to help Fairmont State University students achieve a degree, we must be able to provide four year scholarships.

This gift was made through the Fairmont State Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of Fairmont State University.