By Charles Young, WV News
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The decisions weren’t easy, but they were necessary, according to West Virginia University President Dr. E. Gordon Gee.
Gee, who at the beginning of September received a symbolic vote of no confidence from WVU’s faculty amid efforts to address a $45 million budget shortfall, said the “academic transformation” was imperative for ensuring the vitality of the university.
“I think we made the right decisions,” Gee said Monday during an interview at the offices of WV News. “Did we make mistakes? Obviously. Did we correct mistakes? Yes. When you’re first in line, when you’re the point of the spear, you sometimes make mistakes. But I think generally I feel really good about where we are.”
In mid-September, WVU officials announced plans to eliminate about 8% of majors and about 5% of faculty.
In the lead-up to the announcement of which programs and faculty members would be cut, the campus experienced student protests and WVU was the subject of numerous national media reports.
