NC West Virginia News

The West Virginia University Board of Governors endorsed a slate of 21 nominated individuals on Friday, June 21, to serve on the committee tasked with selecting the University’s next president. The Ad Hoc Governance Committee recommended four BOG members and three faculty members for the Presidential Search Committee. The committee will also include one student representative, one representative each from classified staff, deans, WVU Athletics, WVU Medicine, the WVU Foundation, and the WVU Alumni Association. Additionally, there will be one representative for regional campuses and three at-large representatives, totaling 18 voting members. Three ex-officio representatives will join them: one from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and two BOG chairs (2023-2025) for continuity.

“Choosing a president is an immense responsibility, and we were impressed by the quality of the nominees that were submitted,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, chair of the Ad Hoc Governance Committee.

The Board also endorsed documents outlining the role and responsibilities of the Committee members as well as confidentiality agreements and a code of ethics.

During Friday’s regular BOG meeting, WittKieffer—the national firm selected in May to partner with WVU in its presidential search—outlined upcoming steps in the process. These steps include a series of listening sessions with various groups through mid-September. Details will be announced in coming weeks with updates available at presidentialsearch.wvu.edu.

A new president will take office during a period of improving financial stability at WVU. The University has addressed a projected structural budget shortfall and increased its cash reserves over the past year.

“WVU remains committed to strengthening the financial performance of the University and developing a strong fiscal budgeting process,” Finance Committee Chair Kevin Craig stated before approving the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Plan.

The plan includes an approved $228 per semester tuition increase for resident undergraduate students and $624 per semester for non-resident students. Resident graduate students will see a $252 per semester increase while non-resident graduate students' tuition will rise by $639 per semester. To help offset these increases, student financial support will grow proportionally.

“In fact, 50% of May 2023 resident graduates earning bachelor’s degrees graduated with zero debt,” Chief Financial Officer Paula Congelio said.

Provost Maryanne Reed informed that summer school enrollments have remained steady with increased demand for online courses. Academic program updates at WVU Institute of Technology and WVU Potomac State are progressing as planned. The new College of Creative Arts and Media is set to launch on July 1 along with a new Division for Land-Grant Engagement comprising several community-focused entities.

Reed also provided an update on searching for a new campus president for Potomac State College.

“As mentioned previously, my office has engaged with Greenwood Asher and Associates to manage this search,” Reed said. “Since June 7, we already have received 30 applications in our pool.”

In other actions:

- A new Mine Safety Practices and Health undergraduate certificate program was approved.

- Online graduate certificates in various sport-related disciplines were approved within the College of Applied Human Sciences.

- An Athletics project to develop a new Baseball Hitting & Pitching Facility was approved.

Current Vice-Chair Rick Pill will serve as BOG Chair starting July 1; Bob Reynolds will step into the secretary role; Dr. Patrice Harris will become vice chair while retaining her positions related to governance committees.

President Gordon Gee thanked outgoing board members for their service and highlighted WVU's impact across West Virginia communities during his annual summer county tour.

“By shaking hands with citizens...we make our land-grant flagship University a vital presence for those we serve,” Gee said.