SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — While West Virginia University has been making headlines for its restructuring of academic offerings in the wake of a proposed shortfall of $45 million, Shepherd University in the state’s Eastern Panhandle has also been looking at streamlining its programming.
Shepherd President Dr. Mary J.C. Hendrix said this week the review has already resulted in the reduction of one college at the university and the review continues.
“We went from four colleges to three, so we streamlined there, but now we’re looking program by program for what we call academic prioritization,” Hendrix said this weekend on ‘Panhandle Live’ on WEPM Radio in Martinsburg.
Hendrix said the review will take at least another month as enrollment numbers in the particular programs are being analyzed. She said the information will then before forwarded to the Shepherd University Board of Governors.
“Then we’ll be able to make decisions about which programs we should embellish, enhance, which programs we’ll maintain the same status as now and which programs we should think about teaching out,” Hendrix said.
Among some other streamlining measures being considered is the closing of the university’s Martinsburg campus, which opened 10 years ago with a focus on non-traditional, adult learners.
Hendrix said there some cause for optimism when considering fall enrollment numbers.
“Our freshman class is the largest we’ve had over the last several years,” Hendrix said. “When we look at our total head enrollment, we’re going to be 31-hundred and 32-hundred (students) this year.”
Hendrix was a recent guest on Panhandle Live. Her full remarks can be heard here.