MARS provides, through competitive robotics, hands-on learning for K-12 students throughout the state. During the past five years, MARS has reached more than 50,000 young people with unique learning opportunities to prepare them for the future. (Photo credit: WVU Division for Land-Grant Engagement)
For the second year in row, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities has named West Virginia University as a regional winner of the 2025 W.K. Kellogg FoundationCommunity Engagement Scholarship. The University’s partnership with Mountaineer Area RoboticS (MARS) was selected for the award, which recognizes extraordinary community engagement initiatives between land-grant institutions and its community partners.
As a regional winner, WVU will compete for the national C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award, which will be announced in November. Other finalists for the award are Indiana University, Oregon State University, and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
MARS has been integral in addressing persistent barriers to employment, education, and participation in fields in science, technology, engineering and math. Founded in 2008 through a collaborative partnership with local communities and WVU, MARS provides a purpose-driven, creative outlet for West Virginia students to inspire change.
“MARS was created because there was a lack of STEM opportunities for youth in West
Virginia. It started out locally and now has grown statewide, so the focus is
to provide, through competitive robotics, hands-on learning for K-12 students
throughout the state,”
said
Earl Scime, Oleg D. Jefimenko professor of physics and astronomy in the
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, and MARS director. “We are able to reach
these students because of the strong support of our partners, including WVU,
K-12 schools, private foundations, companies like Boeing and EQT, and others
who want technically trained employees. MARS is preparing our kids to meet
those needs.”
Partnerships between WVU and programs like MARS are critical, Scime added.
“The program is completely volunteer based, so having a cadre of technically trained experts and mentors from the University, including lawyers, engineers, mathematicians, physicists and others with unique backgrounds, contributes to the mission of MARS and how it functions.”
Kristi Wood-Turner, assistant dean of engagement and director of the WVU Center for Community Engagement, noted partnerships with organizations like MARS, provides opportunities to teach young people practical life and leadership skills, promote college readiness, build foundations for career success and help youth overcome the challenges and adversity they face within the state.
“MARS is a wonderful example of how community engagement can address real issues facing our communities, including enhancing educational opportunities and access to STEM program and careers. These types of partnerships not only reinforce WVU’s land-grant mission but also facilitate positive change for our state through innovation and opportunity,” she said. “Our recognition as a regional finalist for a second year in a row is a testament to WVU’s commitment to our land-grant mission and enhancing opportunities to strengthen community engagement to advance both student learning and meaningful partnerships in the communities we serve.”
Since 2007, APLU and the Engagement Scholarship Consortium, with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, have partnered to honor the engagement scholarship and partnerships of four-year public universities. The award recognizes programs that demonstrate how colleges and universities have redesigned their learning, discovery and engagement missions to deepen their partnerships and achieve broader impacts in their communities. The national award is named for C. Peter Magrath, APLU president from 1992 to 2005. The WVU Center for Community Engagement, which is housed under the WVU Division for Land-Grant Engagement under the leadership of Dean Jorge Atiles, facilitates the award nominations on behalf of the University.
“Congratulations to the winners of the Kellogg Community Engagement Scholarship Awards,” said APLU President Waded Cruzado. “Community engagement is core to the public university mission, and we’re thrilled to recognize the critical work these institutions have done to help their communities tackle stubborn challenges and unleash the potential of their regions.”
These exemplary projects and Magrath Award finalists will be showcased at the 2025 Engagement Scholarship Consortium’s Annual Conference in October. A team of community engagement professionals from public research universities judged the first round of the award, and a second team will pick the national winner following presentations at the 2025 National Engagement Scholarship Conference.
The C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award includes a $20,000 prize and a sculpture. The three other regional winners will each receive a $5,000 prize to further their work.