MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University Board of Governors held serve at a special meeting Friday morning–further delaying their ability to finalize the school’s budget for the next year.
“Obviously we are constrained in making final decisions because the Legislature is still in session working toward a Budget Resolution,” President Gordon E. Gee said following Friday’s meeting.
“Until we have a final [state] budget–a resolution–we will not have a final budget proposal.”
The Board initially placed a discussion on tuition and fees on their agenda, but took no action do to the ongoing budget stalemate in Charleston.
“It would be foolhardy for us to adopt a budget unilaterally because we are the state’s University,” Gee said. “We have responsibilities to all 1.8 million West Virginians, and we do not want to get out ahead of ourselves.”
During the regular session, proposals for cuts to the state’s land-grant institution ranged between six million dollars and just north of 15 million dollars. During the regular session, representatives from the University described a budget cut of $15.8 million as “unwarranted.”
“I will continue to remind [the Legislature] that the University and this academic medical center is the largest employer in the state,” Gee said. “It creates more jobs. I will continue to urge that, however the budget issues our resolved, that we need to start investing in higher education–particularly our University.”
The West Virginia University Board of Governors next meets on June 16.