FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 6, 2023

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Glenville State University
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GLENVILLE, WV – Glenville State University President Dr. Mark Manchin has presented an honorary doctorate to West Virginia State Board of Education President, L. Paul Hardesty. 

The degree was presented to Hardesty during a brief ceremony on March 23. West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Chancellor Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker was on hand to help bestow Hardesty with a ceremonial hood and Manchin read an official proclamation of the degree conferral. Several friends and colleagues were on hand to share in the celebration.

“My deepest thanks to Glenville State University for this prestigious recognition. The fact that it was presented to me by Dr. Manchin, a man who I have long admired and respected, is an added honor. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to my family and friends for their support and guidance along the way, and to all of those working together to continue to move West Virginia forward,” Hardesty said.

“I am pleased to be able to recognize the tremendous advocate we have in Paul Hardesty. He is a dear friend and colleague to me, to our institution, and to the great State of West Virginia. Paul has given a lifetime of service to this state, particularly as it relates to public education. So, for that work and his ongoing commitment to excellence in education, we could not be happier to have presented him with this honorary degree,” said Manchin. 

The honorary degree at Glenville State University serves the purpose of recognizing extraordinary individuals and inspiring students. It is awarded to distinguished individuals who merit special recognition for genuine achievement and distinction compatible with the mission of the institution.

In addition to his position with the West Virginia Board of Education, Hardesty is also the managing member of PDH Business Solutions, a business development and consulting company based in Logan, West Virginia. He has a 30-year career of public service on both the county and state levels. He has previously served as a three-term member of the Logan County Board of Education, Logan County Board of Education President, Logan County Administrator, Director of the Office of Coalfield Development and legislative liaison for Governor Bob Wise, Director of the Public Energy Authority and a member of the legislative staff for Governor Joe Manchin, and a West Virginia State Senator. Hardesty was appointed to the West Virginia Board of Education to an unexpired term beginning December 2021 and ending in November 2029.

Hardesty, a 1981 graduate of Richlands Virginia High School, resides in Holden, West Virginia with his wife Debby. He has one daughter, Brooke.