Our Mission

The WVU Extension Master Gardener Program mission is to extend Extension's educational programs with trained and certified volunteers as effective community educators in addressing horticultural and environmental issues.

 Our Vision & Purpose

WVU Extension is at the forefront of the University and in direct contact with people in the communities throughout the state. As part of WVU Extension, our vision is to empower people and build capacity through education and community engagement in addressing local critical issues and be the logical, first and best choice for people looking for non-biased, research-based information to sustain and preserve natural resources and improve lives of the people throughout the state of West Virginia, regardless of their socio-economic background.

The WVU Extension Master Gardener Program was built on the foundation of the nation's leading Extension program that spread across North America and overseas. 

The Extension Master Gardener Program is supported by WVU Extension by providing necessary resources for training volunteers to be effective community educators in addressing horticultural and environmental issues. 

Purpose of the program is to project and deliver research-based information to the citizens of West Virginia in accordance with the mission of the land-grant university to sustain and preserve natural resources and improve lives of the people.

 Pillars of the Program

Addressing Local Critical Issues

• Provide community engagement through beautification projects at schools, parks, city halls and other public institutions.
• Engage youth in gardening, give them sense of purpose, relevance, responsibility.
• Use horticulture as therapy and engage senior citizens and/or special-needs individuals.
• Community and/or demonstration gardens as an educational tool and source of locally-produced healthy food source to donate to the food-banks, soup kitchens or use themselves.

Providing Education

• Like with any other program or project, we need to answer the question, WHY is it important to do it?  
• WHAT is the benefit of doing the project/program? What are the lessons learned? 
• HOW are we going to evaluate the results and determine whether the project was “a success,” failure or needs improvement to meet the “success” rating?

Serving Wide and Diverse Audience

• Communities are complex entities with diverse population in terms of their socio-economic backgrounds (race, ethnicity, cultural and economic backgrounds). All Extension Master Gardener programs are in tune with the basic mission of the land-grant universities to deliver programs that would provide research-based information to improve their lives while preserving healthy environment to all citizens regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds.  

Showing Relevance

• Speak about the projects and the impacts they are having on the population. Show the relevance. In today’s economic environment with revenue shortages it is extremely important that the local citizens and particularly decision-makers at all levels of government know how valuable the program and the projects it facilitates are.   

WVU is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer -- Minority/Female/Disability/Veteran.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).
The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing, and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state’s four-year colleges and universities.
Reasonable accommodations will be made to provide this content in alternate formats upon request. Contact the WVU Extension Service Office of Communications at 304-293-4222.