PARKERSBURG – The West Virginia University Extension will host an open regional listening session at 6 p.m. Thursday in Parkersburg.

WVU, serving as the land grant college in the Mountain State, strives to improve the lives and livelihoods of all West Virginians by delivering relevant and research-backed educational programs throughout the state, according to a release form the extension service.

These programs are designed to address critical issues that affect communities, but periodically, needs can change, the release said. This year, WVU Extension will launch a statewide needs assessment to ensure programs, opportunities and initiatives exist within the Division for Land-Grant Engagement to address the needs of the communities, industries and students that WVU Extension serves.

These efforts will begin this month with a series of listening sessions to be held across the state. The open-forum events will include a brief presentation by WVU representatives. However, the majority of the time will be allocated to hearing from stakeholders in the local community.

Parkersburg will be hosting a listening session at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Fort Boreman Room of the Judge Black Annex of the Wood County Courthouse, 317 Market St. This is directly across from the entrance to the Blennerhassett Hotel. The session is open to the public.

“Collectively, these stakeholder touchpoints will help identify current needs and guide the development of statewide and local program priorities,” said Jorge Atiles, associate vice president and dean of the Division for Land-Grant Engagement. “They will also guide future research direction and support decisions on how Division for Land-Grant Engagement resources are allocated over the next five years, as we work to carry out our mission.”

In addition to the listening sessions, the statewide needs assessment will include a stakeholder survey that will be available in late spring and run through late summer, as well as targeted county meetings in the fall.

WVU Extension and the West Virginia Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, both units in the Division for Land-Grant Engagement, are required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to document stakeholder input in their priority-setting process.

More information about WVU Extension can be found at extension.wvu.edu or through its social media channels. For specific inquiries regarding the Parkersburg meeting, contact the Wood County WVU Extension office at 304-424-1960.