On Monday, the West Virginia University Faculty Senate took a vote on a “no confidence” resolution regarding the President Gordon Gee/Provost Maryanne Reed administration. The resolution was voted down 103 to 20.
It seems like an overwhelming vote of support for Gee and Reed, but we do wonder how accurate those numbers are. As one faculty member pointed out, the vote was not anonymous and not everyone voting has the protection of tenure. Associate Professor of English Rose Casey said, “Given that it isn’t (anonymous), that might affect the outcome of a vote, which has been based on speaking with constituents. I am not voting on my behalf, but my name will be attached to something that my constituents are asking me to vote on. And I am untenured. And that makes me feel really uncomfortable.”
Her discomfort is valid. When employees speak out against their employer, there is always a possibility of retribution — intentional or unintentional, conscious or unconscious. It’s hard to tell how many of the voters in the Faculty Senate felt the same as Casey and how that may have changed the outcome — if at all.
Without a doubt, there have been bright spots during the Gee/Reed years. The university has greatly expanded its business and STEM majors: Research grants have rolled in and the innovation incubator/small business hub have taken off. WVU’s partnership with state and county health systems has been integral to fighting COVID-19 statewide, as well as making tests and vaccines widely available. The WVU health system has also grown, bringing more (and better) care to Morgantown and to underserved outlying areas.
For better or worse, in the last few years, there has been an emphasis on making West Virginia University a top research institution. While the push to produce new and innovative research has put the university on the cutting edge of science and technology, it has also arguably shifted the university’s focus. By asking professors to concentrate on research and publication, the university seems to prioritize income-generating opportunities over students’ education. Anyone who has talked to a WVU student has heard complaints about classes taught by graduate students rather than professors, or professors who have confessed to being there only to research — not to teach. What are students paying for, if not to be educated?
Perhaps the prevailing complaint in the “no confidence” resolution was a lack of transparency. With this, we agree. University faculty, staff and students as well as members of the larger community were all equally surprised when WVU released a long list of programs to be cut as well as schools that would be combined. According to a WVU Today article from Oct. 29, 2021, “A program review resulted in 15 programs being recommended for discontinuation … .” The review and list of programs to be cut has since been removed from the provost’s webpage.
President Gee and Provost Reed’s administration would benefit from being more open and honest with the public — particularly WVU students and employees — throughout the decision-making process. In the absence of answers, rumors and speculation abound, and it is administrative silence that causes students and faculty to lose confidence in the university.
