MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Presidents at West Virginia University and Marshall are mulling adjustments in the midst of a 4-percent cut to higher education funding Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin made last fall.
“We’re looking at our minimum class size. That’s one way we’re going to look at trying to cut sections,” said Marshall president Jerry Gilbert. “To save costs in terms of the adjuncts that we hire and things we can do to make the university more efficient. We’re going to look at those very closely.”
Gordon Gee said WVU continues to push higher education as the future of the Mountain State. His university raised tuition by 9.7 percent last fall—an increase of $672 from the previous year. That hiked the annual tuition cost for full-time in-state students to $7,600, while out-of-state students owed about $21,400.
“I think that people realize that as the economy in this state is changing and will change, that the future of this state is going to be dependent on an educated citizenry,” Gee said. “And an ability to keep our students here, to have them well educated and great jobs will make that happen.”
Creating jobs remains Gee’s primary focus as the leader of the state’s flagship university.
“If you were to ask me, what is West Virginia University’s No. 1 priority, I would tell you one word: jobs,” he said. “Jobs are the key to having a great state and a great educational system. And we need to be job creators.”
Gilbert said he doesn’t expect to see any additional funding anytime soon. Marshall lifted tuition rates by 3 to 4 percent last fall, raising the two-semester in-state cost to more than $5,900 and around $15,500 for out-of-state students.
“State funding is probably not going to increase,” he said. “It’s just a question of how much it’s going to decrease.”