Current:Home > BackWest Virginia University faculty express symbolic no confidence in President E. Gordon Gee-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
West Virginia University faculty express symbolic no confidence in President E. Gordon Gee
View Date:2024-12-23 15:54:08
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia University faculty approved a symbolic motion on Wednesday expressing no confidence in President E. Gordon Gee as the university addresses a $45 million budget shortfall.
The university is struggling with the financial toll of dwindling enrollment, revenue lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasing debt load for new building projects. The budget shortfall is projected to grow as high as $75 million in five years.
The faculty resolution on Gee said his administration’s poor planning, faulty decision making and financial mismanagement has significantly contributed to the crisis. It called into question Gee’s “ability to responsibly, honestly and effectively lead, facilitate and participate in decision making.”
“I must say that if I had done all of those things, I’d probably vote no confidence myself,” Gee told the faculty prior to the vote.
The votes, which serve as a symbolic gesture to express the faculty’s collective thoughts, were held a month after the university Board of Governors gave Gee a one-year contract extension. Gee announced a week later that he plans to step down after his contract expires in June 2025.
The university’s faculty assembly also was voting on a second motion calling for WVU to freeze ongoing academic program and faculty cuts.
The university is proposing cutting 32 programs — 9% of the majors offered on its Morgantown campus — including its entire department of world languages, literatures and linguistics, along with graduate and doctoral degrees in math, music, English and more. The Board of Governors will conduct a final vote on the cuts next week.
While the university recommended eliminating 7% of the total faculty in Morgantown, critics said that estimate approached 16%.
Hundreds of students held a protest last month while the American Federation of Teachers called the cuts “draconian and catastrophic.”
Gee has served two stints as WVU’s president. After taking over in 2014, his promise to increase enrollment to 40,000 students by 2020 never materialized. Instead, the student population has dropped 10% since 2015, while on-campus expansion continued.
WVU has spent millions of dollars on construction projects in recent years, including a $100 million new home for the university’s business school, a $35 million renovation of a 70-year-old classroom building and $41 million for two phases of upgrades to the football team’s building.
veryGood! (72)
Related
- Timothée Chalamet Details How He Transformed Into Bob Dylan for Movie
- The head of Boeing’s defense and space business is out as company tries to fix troubled contracts
- Spotted: The Original Cast of Gossip Girl Then vs. Now
- Police chase in NYC, Long Island ends with driver dead and 7 officers, civilian taken to hospitals
- Horoscopes Today, November 9, 2024
- NASCAR 2024 playoff standings: Who is in danger of elimination Saturday at Bristol?
- Mississippi mayor says a Confederate monument is staying in storage during a lawsuit
- Lindsay Lohan's Rare Photo With Husband Bader Shammas Is Sweeter Than Ice Cream
- NBPA reaches Kyle Singler’s family after cryptic Instagram video draws concern
- Charlize Theron's Daughters Jackson and August Look So Tall in New Family Photo
Ranking
- What do nails have to say about your health? Experts answer your FAQs.
- Cards Against Humanity sues Elon Musk’s SpaceX over alleged trespassing in Texas
- Kristen Bell Reveals Husband Dax Shephard's Reaction to Seeing This Celebrity On her Teen Bedroom Wall
- Illinois upends No. 22 Nebraska in OT to stay unbeaten
- Today’s Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and More React to Craig Melvin Replacing Hoda Kotb as Co-Anchor
- Miley Cyrus Makes Rare Public Appearance During Outing With Boyfriend Maxx Morando
- S&P 500, Dow hit record highs after Fed cuts rates. What it means for your 401(k).
- GM recalls 450,000 pickups, SUVs including Escalades: See if your vehicle is on list
Recommendation
-
Celtics' Jaylen Brown calls Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo a 'child' over fake handshake
-
The first day of fall is almost here: What to know about 2024 autumnal equinox
-
Video showing Sean 'Diddy' Combs being arrested at his hotel is released
-
Diana Taurasi changed the WNBA by refusing to change herself
-
Veterans face challenges starting small businesses but there are plenty of resources to help
-
Lizzo Responds to Ozempic Allegations After Debuting Weight Loss Transformation
-
Giant sinkholes in a South Dakota neighborhood make families fear for their safety
-
Moment of Sean Diddy Combs' Arrest Revealed in New Video