If the plan proceeds, the graduate program could begin in 2019, the college said.

Still said increased enrollment could bring in about 2,800 to 3,000 undergraduate students. The college currently has about 2,090 students.

Chancellor Donna P. Henry said the college has had most of the proposal’s items in mind for several years, but growing UVa-Wise became a focus of the Virginia gubernatorial campaign, as both candidates emphasized the college’s importance as an economic engine for Southwest Virginia. Henry said the timing was right to unveil the projects as one proposal.

Gov.-elect Ralph Northam, a Democrat, touted plans for the college’s expansion, saying it would improve the region’s economy. The college stepped into the spotlight last month when Northam and the Republican nominee, Ed Gillespie, participated in a debate at the Wise campus.

Henry will draft a letter to Northam that outlines the college’s proposal to request his thoughts and feedback.