The Martin Center has been running a series of articles about higher-education-reform efforts in the states, and today, Adam Kissel looks at West Virginia:
One bit of good news is that the state’s flagship school, WVU, has started cutting back on unnecessary expenses on its own. But, Kissel observes, there is much more to be done and the state legislature should act. He writes:
West Virginia substantially over-invests in our over-enrolled four-year public colleges, especially when compared to investments in our career-college system. In West Virginia, you can get a two-year degree to become a power-transmission installer from Pierpont Community and Technical College and be earning $89,000 two years after graduation with only $11,000 in college debt. Or you can get a fine-arts degree from WVU, earn $18,000 per year, and have $27,000 in debt.
In short, change priorities so that more students pursue useful studies that lead to jobs with good prospects.
Kissel has other ideas as well:
WVU pays its vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) more than $234,000 per year, as reported by The College Fix. In 2023 and 2024, one delegate proposed a bill to ban racial discrimination in admissions, ban mandatory diversity statements for applicants, and abolish DEI offices and remove their officers. The bill tracks with the Manhattan Institute’s model language, which legislators in other states have used, as well. Some states have successfully enacted such policies.
Even though the legislature is Republican, Kissel observes that few members have much experience with higher education, which allows the lobbyists for the university system too much clout. Let’s hope that the right people read his article.