The Milan Puskar Entrepreneur of the Year Award isn’t just about innovation—it’s about impact. And this year, the Morgantown Area Partnership is proud to recognize West Virginia Junior College (WVJC) for transforming how healthcare education reaches people across the state.
What started in Morgantown as a secretarial school has grown into one of the largest nursing programs in West Virginia, now serving nearly 800 students across the state. But what makes WVJC’s work truly entrepreneurial is how they’ve scaled access.
“The only way to solve the nursing workforce shortage—especially in rural areas—is to meet adult learners where they are,” said Chad Callen, CEO of WVJC. “Most can’t afford to stop working and go back to school full time. We had to build a different path.”
That path includes flexible online degree programs and a mobile nursing simulation lab—a custom-outfitted, high-tech training environment that travels directly to rural hospitals and healthcare providers across West Virginia.
“The technology is amazing,” Jamie McLaughlin, Sr. Director of Critical Care Services at Mon Health System, said. “We can change the vitals, dilate the pupils—it gives us hands-on experience in a way that’s actually accessible.”
WVJC’s approach has already started to address one of the most urgent healthcare challenges in the state: workforce retention. By training future nurses directly in their home communities—and in collaboration with local healthcare facilities—the program gives rural hospitals a better chance of keeping skilled professionals close to home.
“It gives people more opportunity,” said Lisa Everson, regional coordinator and faculty at WVJC. “And it increases the chances they’ll stay and work in our small hospitals.”
What began as a bold experiment is now a proven model—and WVJC is just getting started.
“Online education isn’t new,” Callen said, “but delivering it at the associate degree level for nurses in a way that’s flexible, hands-on, and impactful? That’s what we set out to do.”
For WVJC, receiving the Milan Puskar Entrepreneur of the Year Award is a chance to shine a light on a mission far bigger than any single program.
“We’re honored to receive this award,” Callen said. “But more importantly, we hope it opens doors to expand our impact even further—and we share this recognition with the many partners across West Virginia who help make our work possible.”
