West Virginia Independent Colleges & Universities (WVICU) was founded in 1951 by a small group of concerned leaders from business and industry who joined forces with West Virginia's independent colleges to promote the work of what was then the seven liberal arts colleges in the state. Corporate leaders believed that a collaborative effort for raising funds would strengthen the colleges and build a foundation for obtaining necessary resources. These early leaders recognized that the interests of private enterprise and private education were synonymous
( www.wvicu.org )
