It is one of the original 19 land-grant colleges and universities established by the second Morrill Act of 1890, which evolved as a diverse and inclusive campus.

Prior to 1830,[5] Samuel I. Cabell, moved to the Kanawha River valley from Georgia[6] and married Mary Barnes, a former slave, who bore thirteen children.

[7] Sam Cabell was murdered shortly after the American Civil War and the creation of the state of West Virginia.

Military education became an integral part of the school, and in 1899 West Virginia's legislature passed a bill to admit up to 60 cadets.

Benefiting from the presence of the Wertz Field airport adjacent to campus, the program prepared many African-American pilots for the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II.

[11] In 1951 the Drain-Jordan Library opened, named in honor of librarian Leaonead Pack Drain-Bailey and Lawrence Victor Jordan.

[12][13] West Virginia State College underwent a significant transformation under the guidance of President William J. L. Wallace.

In 1957, the school lost its land grant status because the West Virginia Board of Education voted to end the state funding needed to obtain matching federal land-grant aid.

Gaston Caperton signed a bill on Feb. 12, 1991, that had been passed by the Legislature to recognize the land-grant status on the state level.

[8] Under President Anthony L. Jenkins, PhD, the university celebrated a historic achievement, receiving its full land-grant state match.

Wallace (1953–73), Harold M. McNeill (1973–81), Thomas W. Cole, Jr. (1982–86), Hazo W. Carter, Jr. (1986–2012), Brian O'Harold Hemphill (2012–16), Anthony L. Jenkins (2016–20), and Nicole Pride (2020–21).

Integrated Research and Extension Building and the adjacent Dr. Hazo W. and Judge Phyllis H. Carter Food and Agricultural Complex.

Following Campbell was John H. Hill, who was a lawyer, teacher, administrator, and soldier, who oversaw the university's first commencement.

James McHenry Jones was responsible for adding teacher education (a "normal" department), and is buried on campus.

Before becoming the fourth president, Byrd Prillerman was a faculty member and one of those responsible for locating the school in the Kanawha Valley.

[17] William James Lord Wallace's greatest challenge of his presidency came following the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 ruling, Brown v. Board of Education, which declared segregated schools to be unconstitutional.

During Thomas Winston Cole, Jr.'s administration, he made several organizational changes in the institution, creating new academic divisions and establishing a planning and advancement unit.

[17] Shortly after he became the ninth president in September 1987, Dr. Hazo W. Carter, Jr. began a 12-year quest to regain the college's land-grant status that had been transferred in the 1950s.

These achievements, accompanied by two highly successful accreditation's by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the addition of graduate programs, highlight his administration.

Williams Auditorium of Ferrell Hall, while the May commencement was either on the large lawn in the center of campus (also called the quad), or in the P.A.

The school then moved to the formerly all-white West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), which competed in the NCAA's Division II.

After the dissolution of the WVIAC, WVSU joined the new Mountain East Conference in 2013, which is also part of NCAA Division II.

In the spring of 2015, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble performed at The Hamilton in Washington, D.C. for the simultaneous events of D.C.'s 153rd Emancipation Day Celebrations and the 150th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's Assassination.

On April 12 and 13, 2012, the Jazz Ensemble played two concerts for Washington, D.C.'s 150th Emancipation Day celebrations at the Lincoln Theatre.

The Jazz Ensemble, along with the Concert Choir, performed at The Greenbrier on November 22, 2013, as part of the West Virginia Reading Association (WVRA) conference.

The State Singers consists of eight to ten vocalists and also occasionally perform as the WVSU Vocal Jazz Choir.

The State Singers act as ambassadors for the university and frequently perform off campus for important community and cultural events.

Recent tours have taken the group to Cleveland, Ohio, Virginia Beach, St. Louis, Missouri, and New York City.

On April 13 and 14, 2012, the concert choir had the unique opportunity of singing the music of "Queen" with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

Many of the students who live in dorms on campus are from large urban areas outside of West Virginia or from the rural counties in the state.