WVU Releases Final Adjustments To Cuts

With the last hearings held this past Friday, Sept. 1, West Virginia University has finalized its recommendations for cuts to academic programs. Tuesday’s announcement was the final of four covering the 19 units that chose to appeal the recommendations.

A proposal to cut the bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture was reconsidered.

In a press release, Provost Maryanne Reed said the School of Design and Community Development “made a strong case for retaining the major by demonstrating it could achieve efficiencies while addressing the needs of landscape architecture students who do not have a similar degree program to pursue here at the University.” 

Efficiencies include reducing the number of faculty in the unit.

The Office of the Provost declined a proposal to develop the Master of Public Administration as an online degree and will maintain its original recommendation to discontinue the degree program and eliminate all faculty positions in the unit.

The first of the announcements Aug. 29 included an amendment to the recommendations for the World Languages Department, including retaining in-person Spanish and Chinese instruction while still closing the department.

On Friday Sept. 1 it was announced that the Department of English had successfully appealed the preliminary recommendation to discontinue the MFA in Creative Writing. The unit presented a plan to merge the MA in English with the MA in Professional Writing. 

A recommendation to discontinue the Masters in Special Education was also overturned. All final recommendations can be viewed on the provost’s website.

The University Assembly meets Wednesday to vote on resolutions of no confidence in President Gordon Gee, as well as one calling for a halt of the academic transformation process.

The WVU Board of Governors will vote on the recommended cuts Sept. 15.