Efforts to reposition West Virginia University for the future continue through a “First Principles” approach President Gordon Gee outlined in his State of the University address this spring, one focused on students, the University’s land-grant mission and differentiation.
Initiated by a charge from the Board of Governors, the work is addressing operational and academic areas of the WVU System and a structural budget deficit.
This update includes information about:
Fiscal Year 2024 budget, tuition rates,
academic programs, academic support units review and timeline,
colleges merger,
Notice of Appointment letters, Reduction in Force and BOG Rules
ITS merger,
and salary enhancements related to PEIA premium increases.
Budget, tuition rates for FY24
The BOG approved an estimated $1.2 billion FY24 budget last week which includes a projected $33 million in increased revenues, including one-time-use resources from the WVU Foundation and reduced expenses totaling nearly $10 million.
Housing and dining fees will see modest increases to help offset inflation and a rise in the cost of goods and services. Tuition and fees will increase slightly less than 3%.
The University has also in recent years increased the amount of unfunded institutional aid provided to students and expects this amount to exceed $134 million in 2024. These steps help to ensure the University remains competitive among its Big 12 and regional peers.
The FY24 financial plan outlines additional details.
Academics
Academic programs review and timeline
The graduate portfolio review, part of the initial Academic Transformation effort which began in 2021, is complete. The results included three programs that will continue unchanged, 21 programs that will continue with plans for improvement, one to be developed as a cooperative program and 12 programs that will be discontinued.
The next phase of Academic Transformation launched this spring with the goal of creating a more focused program portfolio aligned with student demand, career opportunities and market trends.
A list of academic programs that will undergo further review as part of this phase will be shared during a Campus Conversation the week of July 10, along with data, analysis and details on the decision-making process. WVU Tech in Beckley and Potomac State College in Keyser will follow a separate timeline and process. Watch MOUNTAINEER E-News for details.
Academic Support Units review
In May, the Office of the Provost collected input about the activities and services provided by the University’s Academic Support Units on the Morgantown campus. The feedback is being reviewed and, along with human resources and financial data, will be used to develop recommendations to improve and transform ASUs, where needed. The recommendations will be shared with the BOG in late July before implementation begins.
Colleges merger
The College of Creative Arts and the Reed College of Media will merge to create a new college focused on the future of arts and media education.
Leadership from the two colleges will work this summer to develop the potential structure for the new college. During the 2023-24 academic year, several working groups will be assigned to address the various aspects of the merger, such as academic programming, promotion and tenure guidelines and practices, fundraising, communications and student support services. These groups will provide opportunities for employees, students and alumni from both colleges to engage in the planning process.
Students currently enrolled in either college will not see their degree programs affected by the merger.
Notice of Appointment letters, BOG Rules and RIF
Beginning Thursday (June 29), the University will distribute notice of appointment letters for FY24 to eligible non-classified, faculty and faculty-equivalent/academic professionals. Detailed information about the process was shared in MOUNTAINEER E-News.
Non-renewals and Reduction In Force
To date, the University has completed non-renewals or RIFs for 135 employees.
Classified Staff – 19
Non-Classified Staff/WVU Research Corp. – 77
FEAP – 1
Faculty – 38
Generally speaking, additional non-renewals or RIFs are anticipated to be related to upcoming decisions as part of the academic program portfolio review and the academic support units review processes. However, note that individually-based non-renewals of non-classified staff and faculty on year-to-year contracts as well as individually-based RIFs of classified staff occur every year for any number of reasons not necessarily associated with the formal academic program processes.
BOG Rules
The public comment period has closed and comments are being reviewed after a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to potentially amend:
Proposed BOG Talent and Culture Rule 3.9 - Reduction in Force
Proposed Faculty and Classified Staff Severance Package Schedule
Summaries of the proposed Rules can be found on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking website.
Any comments submitted, along with a University recommendation in response, will be publicly posted July 21. Proposed finalized versions of the documents with any additional amendments made in response to the comments will also be posted. The Board, upon reviewing the comments and new versions, will then vote on the items during its meeting July 31.
Operations
ITS merger
The first phase of the Information Technology Services and Health Sciences ITS merger is underway.
Several new teams are being created, including a Research Services unit to better serve the needs of WVU as an R1 institution. The Health Sciences Center will continue to have on-site, deskside support and classroom technology staff, with a Community Engagement team. And the two learning management systems, SOLE and eCampus, will continue to operate in parallel for several years as a long-term shift to a more sustainable approach is devised.
While some positions are being eliminated due to budget cuts and some duplicative leadership positions have been reposted as part of this merger, there will also be new opportunities moving forward. Additional details were recently shared in MOUNTAINEER E-News.
PEIA/salary enhancements
The University is finalizing a plan to allocate approximately $3 million in State-provided funding for salary adjustments to help offset the additional cost of PEIA premiums for employees up to $1,000, excluding the spousal surcharge. Specifics will be announced in the coming days.
Communications and future updates
Campus Conversations
The University has held several transformation-related Campus Conversations. A video archive of the June 27 Conversation is available at this link.
Videos of other recent Conversations are also available at transformation.wvu.edu.
Timeline, website and future updates
Look for information about upcoming Campus Conversations, as well as other important updates, via MOUNTAINEER E-News.
The University has also created a timeline for the academic program portfolio review process and for potential personnel reductions. It also outlines upcoming BOG meetings, Faculty Senate meetings, Campus Conversations and other timelines related to Operations initiatives.
The timeline, Campus Conversations, updated FAQ and other resources related to academics, operations, finance and more are available at transformation.wvu.edu. The website also includes forms to submit new ideas or provide comments.
Additional specific questions may be emailed to transformation@mail.wvu.edu.