I’m a nobody in higher ed leadership—but I still believe I know what’s right
Preview:
State universities in West Virginia have an uphill struggle to resuscitate interest in higher education. Ravaged by a poor economy, declining population and an understated opiate crisis, it has the lowest bachelor’s degree level educated percentage of all 50 states.
Due to shifting market needs, President Gordon Gee announced last August that West Virginia University would cut or restructure 32 programs and lay off 169 faculty. On the chopping block were undergraduate majors in music, art and multiple foreign languages; master’s programs in acting, landscape architecture and creative writing; and doctoral programs in mathematics, management, higher education and occupational- and environmental health sciences.
Originally published: January 16, 2024
Author: Edward C. Halperin
Position: Chancellor
Institution: New York Medical College
Published by: University Business