MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Board of Governors approved several academic changes Friday, while also receiving a clean bill of financial health in the form of an audit.
“We received a very clean audit that shows the University is operating very soundly and financially very stable,” WVU President Gordon Gee said following Friday’s meeting.
Additionally, the Board heard changes to a number of policies through use of more independent governing powers as granted by the State Legislature earlier this year.
“We are now re-calibrating our rules to be much more effective and efficient and much more agile,” Gee said.
At least eight policies are undergoing some form of minor to moderate change under the new rule making authority. All changes must be subject to a 30-day public comment period.
“We received a considerable amount of freedom from the State Legislature,” Gee said.
Gee said the Board of Governors is also heavily focused on the future of WV Forward, a collaborative initiative between WVU, Marshall, the Department of Commerce, and the State to help find better economic solutions in West Virginia while making sure students are on the right track to meet future work demands.
“The collaboration has been powerful and positive,” Gee said. “We’re receiving great support for it. The issue that we now face is that we have to pivot to make sure that we are making progress on this thing.”
The University also made a number of a minor academic changes, including adding or slightly adjusting several undergraduate and graduate level programs, county extension appointments, and adding 12 100-level courses that can be taken online during Winter Break.
“In the world of the internet, and the digital world of which we live, we need to take advantage of every opportunity to improve the quality of life, options, and opportunities for our students,” Gee said. “This is not a new idea. It is a new opportunity that we’re taking advantage of at our University.”
The Board of Governors will next meet Dec. 15 in Morgantown.