MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Higher education is suffering under the financial burden created by the pandemic. WVU President Gordon Gee said during a Friday appearance on MetroNews “Talkline” choppy seas are ahead for many institutions.
“There’s a story I was reading today that there are 4,500 institutions in the country and it is projected that 1,000 of them may have to close,” Gee said.
WVU is considering furloughing some workers during the summer, but Gee says their size will help them weather this storm.
“The is a very big institution, we very fortunate to be very big,” Gee said. “If we were a small institution would be looking at something much more draconian.”
At this point furloughing workers is just an option, according to Gee. WVU introduced a pair of possible scenarios to workers Thursday. One would have temporary furloughs for a month May 23. The second plan would have the furloughs stretch for two months.
Gee announced Thursday that he’s taking a pay cut of 10 percent. Members of his senior staff have also agreed to a pay reduction.
.@gordongee, President of @WestVirginiaU, talks with @HoppyKercheval about potentially furloughing university employees and what the fall semester may look like. WATCH: https://t.co/jmMe7bOYY9 pic.twitter.com/TVEPVAZNkQ
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) April 24, 2020
WVU won’t be using the $20 million in funding from the CARES Act, federal stimulus, package, for operating expenses. The money has to go to students including more than half to student relief and the balance will cover the deficit created by refunding student housing fees due to the shift to online learning at spring break. An estimated 5,000 students have already applied for a portion $10.2 million dedicated to student financial relief, Gee said.
WVU’s private fundraising arm, the WVU Foundation, is well-funded but the money won’t be used to operate the university. Gee said that money is for student scholarships and other university-related projects.
“Most of the money the foundation raises is designated for various projects, so it’s restricted,” Gee said. “We don’t have a lot of unrestricted cash that we can just call upon.”
Looking ahead, Gee said the options for fall could be totally online, bringing students back with social distancing guidelines or even doing the first eight weeks online then bringing students to campus.
“Through the work of Dr. Marsh and thanks to the strong response of Governor Justice we are a pink state not a red state,” Gee said. “That means we have a lot more flexibility to deal with things than do a lot of other states.”
Increased testing and reducing class sizes are important ways to manage the risk and create a safe environment for students to return, he said. Also, having the capacity to quarantine students that do test positive is vital.
If students return, Gee’s hoping there will be football. Milan Puskar Stadium could be filled with people wearing masks or capacity could be limited to promote social distancing.
“I don’t know a great deal about sports, but I do know it brings a sense of community together,” Gee said. “So, hopefully we’ll be able to provide that sense of community through some of the things we’re going to do with football.”