MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University (WVU) President Gordon Gee delivered the State of the University Monday at the Erickson Alumni Center to an in-person crowd of about 80 in addition to the online audience.
Gee started the address by reflecting on the last address seven months ago and the moves that have been made through academic transformation.
Since that time, about 250 faculty members either did not renew their contracts, left, or were cut, and 28 majors have been cut as part of the transformation. The school has also consolidated information technology with WVU Medicine and Health Sciences and is in the process of eliminating the Talent and Culture department and redistributing those duties to other departments.
“The past few months have had a deep impact on our campus community; we have experienced intense emotions ranging from anger to great sadness, and I understand and acknowledge those feelings,” Gee said.
Gee said in 2022, the freshman retention rate was the second highest ever at 81.8 percent, second only to the coronavirus year when standards were lowered during the pandemic. The retention rates for first-generation students are up more than five percent, and the four-year graduation rates are up 14 percent over the past eight years. Gee said 45 percent of graduates leave with a four-year WVU degree and no debt.
Gee said in 2023, 41 percent of the graduates from WVU School of Dentistry, compared to 19 percent in 2022. In addition to the only LPN to BSN programs in the state that allow students to continue working, Gee said they want to develop programs that will be pathways to in-demand careers at one of the 24 system hospitals in the state.
Gee said they committed to continuing their work as an R-1 institution and developing new technologies that will lead to more opportunities. Gee also said they will work with business and industry to make sure these graduates have a job at home.
“Thanks to the hard work of the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Team that was driven by members from our university,” Gee said. “This investment will have a significant impact on communities in our region and our state.”
David Hardesty, WVU President from 1995 to 2007, attended the event and commented on the academic transformation process.
“Change can be difficult, especially if you’re at the brunt of it, and so I think we’re all sympathetic to all those who feel hurt by this, but on the other hand, the greater good of the university has to prevail.”
About an hour after the start of the State of the University, members of West Virginia United SU, the union representing students, held their own State of the University in the Free Speech Zone at the Mountainlair. President Matthew Kolb is a senior math major, and the President of the Assembly of Delegates of the Union said the administration has not been transparent about the cause of the financial difficulties or the academic evaluation process.
“Gordon Gee and his admission like to say this is necessary, but they can’t decide if this is necessary due to budget cuts or if they were always going to do it,” Kolb said. “We believe this transformation is going to hurt enrollment.”
Kolb and the union members have called for increased financial scrutiny for the university and leadership, including the Board of Governors. The members call the cuts drastic and unneeded, which they believe will cause a public relations problem for years to come.
“We believe that a full independent audit of university finances is necessary, and the results of that audit should be made public,” Kolb said.