West Virginia University could be required to create a new center for “disseminating knowledge about classical western history” if a piece of legislation finds traction in the West Virginia Senate.
House Bill 3297 would establish an “independent” Washington Center for Civics, Culture and Statesmanship at West Virginia’s flagship university, led by an “expert on the western tradition” appointed as director by the governor.
On Friday, the bill passed the West Virginia House of Delegates by a vote of 86 to 10, with four members absent.
The bill’s lead sponsor is Del. Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock. On the House floor Friday, McGeehan said the bill was “modeled after” similar state-endorsed centers at the Ohio State University, the University of Florida, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and other institutions of higher education.
“This piece of legislation is nothing abnormal,” McGeehan said, arguing that the establishment of these centers also helped “attract very talented professors” and expand educational opportunities for students.
Under the bill, the center would focus on curricular areas like “American constitutional studies” — including the “great debates of western civilization” — plus “political philosophy, constitutional governance, economic thought, western history and culture, per the bill’s text.
But some Democratic lawmakers expressed concern that the bill would impose on the university and bypass its internal procedures for developing new centers.
Del. John Williams, D-Monongalia, said he was particularly concerned about the bill because it does not allocate funding to the center or its administration. In 2023, WVU experienced a $45 million budget shortfall that resulted in the closure of dozens of academic majors and the elimination of hundreds of faculty positions.
“The school that had some budget shortfalls a couple years ago, we’re going to mandate to them that they start a new, essentially, college at their school without supplying funding,” Williams said.
Williams argued the subject matter of the proposed center is already covered by current WVU course offerings, and expressed concern about the creation of a “cushy” director position overseen by the governor.
“Is anyone asking for this school to be created?” Williams asked. “Or are prospective students saying, ‘Hey, I’d love for this to be created?’”
McGeehan disputed that the bill would function as a mandate to the university. He also said it would create a framework for the center, to which lawmakers could allocate funds in the future.
With support from a majority of the members of the House, the bill will now be sent to the state Senate for further consideration. If the Senate passes the bill, the House will have one more opportunity to review its contents before it gets sent to the governor’s desk to be considered for law.
