Ohio Valley University was a small private college located between Parkersburg and Vienna. It was founded in 1960 by members of the Church of Christ and became a university in 2005. The school started in temporary buildings and later grew to a large campus with dorms, classrooms, and sports fields.

Ohio Valley offered degrees in business, education, psychology, Bible studies, and more. It also had special programs for adult learners and foreign students.

Despite its growth, the school faced financial problems. In 2020, it was placed on probation, and in 2021, its computer servers crashed, losing student records. That December, the school voted to close. The final graduation was held in May 2022.