West Virginia University serves the people of West Virginia by providing life-saving health care and by educating health care providers.

Why do they work long hours in our hospitals, clinics, and classrooms statewide and devote themselves to caring for others? That?s what I asked some of them at a recent forum at Blaney House.

Their answers deeply moved me. For these people and many like them, WVU?s mission to serve is embedded in all they do.

West Virginia United Health System CEO Tom Jones ( video ) experienced this mission in a personal way recently when his daughter was hospitalized with pregnancy complications before giving birth to a health baby.

?It was so wonderful that that kind of service was available in Morgantown, West Virginia,? Jones said. ?I couldn?t help but think about the mission, not just the mission of caring for people but training the next generation of people who will care for West Virginians and doing the cutting-edge research that enables some of those things to take place for patients.?

Philosophy and political science senior Emily Renzelli ( video ) talked about how she went from having little awareness of the world around her to studying HIV and AIDS prevention services in Africa and developing a national-award-winning malaria awareness campaign in her years at WVU.

?I couldn?t have done this at any other school,? said Renzelli, who received an honorable mention on the 2008 USA Today All-USA College Academic Team.

Mollie McCartney ( video ), a biology and history senior who will enter WVU?s medical school next fall, wants to help West Virginians because she learned about the need for affordable, accessible health care growing up in rural Lewis County.

?Health care has always been something that?s a luxury?it?s not something that you can count on having?And so, just in my lifetime, to see the School of Medicine really push to see health clinics come and to know that there are places where people that I grew up with in my family and neighbors know that they can go and get health care regardless of their ability to pay is just really, really wonderful,? she said.

Dr. John Brick ( video ), professor and chair of neurology, summed up WVU?s impact best.

?There is no greater engine for good in the state of West Virginia than this institution,? Dr. Brick said.

But he challenged us to do a better job telling West Virginians about WVU?s health care impact and services that are available to them in their communities and in Morgantown.

So I ask you ? what ideas do you have for educating our state citizens about WVU?s health care outreach and services?