MORGANTOWN – Following Friday’s announcement by the WVU provost’s office of the Academic Transformation preliminary recommendations, we offer here a department-by-department look at the recommendations.
The provost sent letters to the deans and chairs on Thursday, and all affected faculty were notified by Friday afternoon.
The letters included recommended actions, reasons for the recommendations and proposed faculty cuts.
WVU is proposing that 32 of 338 Morgantown campus majors be discontinued, with 169 potential faculty line reductions. The letters tell each program what their faculty level should be trimmed to, but not what the current count is for that program. We requested that information on Friday but did not receive it by deadline.
There are four possible recommendations: continue at the current level of activity with no recommended changes; continue at the current level with specific action, including reduction of faculty positions; development of a cooperative program; discontinue the program, after a teach-out is completed. We do not include here programs where no action is recommended.
Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Civil and Environmental Engineering: BSCE Civil Engineering, continue at the current level of activity but reduce the number of faculty. PhD Civil Engineering: continue at the current level of activity. The number of faculty positions should be reduced to 14. The provost noted that this school saw a decline in undergraduate program enrollment, reduced revenue and student credit hours, a lack of faculty reduction to mirror enrollment and credit hour declines, and an overall average net loss of $2 million per year.
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering: BSBS Biometric Systems Engineering, deliver this curriculum as a minor and/or area of empasis; Computer Engineering, reduce the number of faculty positions; Computer Science, reduce the number of faculty; Electrical Engineering, reduce the number of faculty positions; MSSE Software Engineering, reduce the number of faculty; PhD Computer Engineering: Continue at the current level of activity. Reduce total faculty positions to 28.
Mining Engineering: bachelor’s Mining Engineering, reduce faculty positions; PhD Mining Engineering, reduce faculty positions.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering: bachelor’s in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, reduce faculty positions; PhD Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, reduce faculty positions.
Mining Engineering and Petroleum/Natural Gas Engineering will be merged, with total faculty reduced to five.
The provost noted that Mining Engineering saw a decline in undergraduate and PhD enrollment and an overall average net loss of more than $1 million per year.
College of Applied Human Sciences
School of Education: BA Elementary Education, reduce faculty positions; MA Literacy Education, reduce faculty positions; MA Higher Education Administration, discontinuance; MA Multicategorical Special Education, discontinuance; PhD Higher Education, discontinuance; EdD Higher Education Administration, discontinuance. Reduce total faculty positions to 18.
The provost noted that the school saw reduced revenue and student credit hours, and expenses exceeding revenues annually for the years of analysis. “The plan presented by the unit in its self-study was exemplary. … The unit was a collegial partner in academic transformation, discontinuing a number of under-enrolled programs.”
College of Creative Arts
School of Art and Design: BFA Art and Design, reduce faculty positions, eliminate area of emphases in ceramics, printmaking, and sculpture; BFA Art Education, eliminate area of emphases in ceramics, printmaking and sculpture; BA Art History, discontinuance, begin the Intent to Plan process for a new degree in undergraduate art history and museum studies; MFA Art and Design, reduce faculty positions, eliminate area of emphases in ceramics, printmaking and sculpture. Reduce total faculty to 15.
The School of Art and Design was placed under review due to declining enrollment in the bachelor’s degree programs, reduced revenue and student credit hours, and expenses exceeding revenues annually for the years of analysis.
School of Music: BM Music Composition, reduce faculty positions; BM Music Performance, reduce faculty positions; BM Music Performance: Jazz and Commercial Music, discontinuance, begin the Intent to Plan process for a new undergraduate degree in commercial music; MM Performance, reduce faculty positions; MM Collaborative Piano, discontinuance; MM Composition, discontinuance; MM Jazz Pedagogy, discontinuance; DMA Performance, reduce faculty positions; DMA Collaborative Piano, discontinuance; DMA Composition, discontinuance. Reduce total faculty positions to 33.
The School of Music was placed under review due to the volume of small and declining programs, an increase in faculty FTE despite enrollment, and expenses exceeding revenues annually by more than $4 million for the years of analysis.
School of Theatre and Dance: BA Theatre, reduce faculty positions; BFA Puppetry, discontinued and merged into the BA in Theatre as an area of emphasis; MFA Acting, discontinuance; MFA Costume Design and Technology, reduce faculty positions, discontinue this major and combine all production-related MFA majors into a single new major, along with MFA Lighting Design and Technology, MFA Scenic Design and Technology, MFA Technical Direction. Reduce total faculty positions to 16.
The School of Theatre and Dance was placed under review due to the volume of small programs, a decrease in student credit hours and revenue, an increase in faculty FTE despite enrollment declines, and expenses exceeding revenues annually for the years of analysis.
College of Law
JD Law, reduce faculty positions, submit a meaningful revision of curriculum that eliminates inefficient and unnecessary program requirements and reduces the total number of course offerings in the college. Additionally, the college will adjust its workload policies, especially concerning faculty who are not research productive. Reduce faculty positions to 24.
Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design
Design and Community Development: BS-AGR Agriculture and Extension Education, reduce faculty positions; BS Design Studies, reduce faculty positions, this program will be moved out of Davis College and into the new college resulting from the College of Creative Arts and Reed College of Media merger; BS Fashion Design and Merchandising, reduce faculty positions, move to new college; BS Interior Architecture, reduce faculty positions, move to new college; BS Environmental and Community Planning, discontinuance; BSLA Landscape Architecture, discontinuance; MSLA Landscape Architecture, discontinuance; PhD Human and Community Development, reduce faculty positions. Reduce faculty positions to 16.
Forestry and Natural Resources: BS Energy Land Management, merged with the BS in Environmental and Energy Resource Management resulting in a single new program and major; BSF Forest Resource Management, reduce faculty positions, merge with the BSF in Wood Science and Technology; BSF Wood Science and Technology, reduce faculty positions, merge with the BSF in Forest Resource Management; BSR Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources, discontinuance; PhD Natural Resources Science, merge with the Division of Resource Economics and Management. Reduce faculty positions to 22.
Plant and Soil Sciences: BS Environmental, Soil, and Water Sciences, reduce faculty positions; BS Environmental Microbiology, reduce faculty positions, discontinued and delivered as an area of emphasis within Environmental, Soil, and Water Science; BSAGR Horticulture, reduce faculty positions, merge with the BSAGR in Sustainable Food and Farming; BSAGR Sustainable Food and Farming, reduce faculty positions, merge with the BSAGR in Horticulture. Reduce faculty positions to 10.
Resource Economics and Management: BS Agribusiness Management, merge with the BS in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics; BS Environmental and Energy Resource Management, merge with the BS in Energy Land Management; BS Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, merge with the BS in Agribusiness Management; MS Energy Environments, discontinuance; PhD Resource Management, discontinuance, merge with the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources.
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
Chemistry: BA/BS Chemistry, reduce faculty positions, revise curriculum. Reduce faculty positions to 23.
Communication Studies: BA Communication Studies, reduce faculty positions, review and optimize the online curriculum, discontinue the in-person version; PhD Communication Studies, reduce faculty positions. Reduce faculty positions to 11.
English: BA English, reduce faculty positions; BA English/Secondary Education, reduce faculty positions; MFA Creative Writing, discontinuance; MA Professional Writing and Editing, reduce faculty positions; PhD English, reduce faculty positions; de-emphasize literary studies and prioritize professional writing, editing, rhetoric and composition. Reduce faculty positions to 26.
Mathematical and Data Sciences: BA/BS Mathematics, reduce faculty positions, revise curriculum; PhD Mathematics, discontinuance, the MS in Mathematics will also be discontinued, begin the Intent to Plan process for an applied mathematics/data sciences master’s degree program. Reduce faculty positions to 30.
Public Administration: MLS Legal Studies, discontinuance; MPA Public Administration, discontinuance. Reduce faculty positions to 0.
World Languages, Literatures and Linguistics: All will be discontinued – BA Chinese Studies, BA French, BA German Studies, BA Russian Studies, BA Spanish, MA Linguistics, MA TESOL. Reduce faculty positions to 0.
“Due to the decline in the discipline nationally and regionally and the lack of student demand for these programs, the institution has made a mission decision that this method of language instruction is not aligned with student interest and is recommending the discontinuation of all programs in this department and the dissolution of this department.”
John Chambers College of Business and Economics
Management: BSBA Management, reduce faculty positions; MS Human Resource Management, reduce faculty positions. Reduce faculty positions to 17.
School of Medicine
Human Performance and Communication Sciences and Disorders: BS Communication Sciences and Disorders, reduce faculty positions; BS Exercise Physiology, reduce faculty positions; BS Health Informatics/Information Management, reduce faculty positions; BS Human Performance and Health, reduce faculty positions; MS Athletic Training, reduce faculty positions; MOT Occupational Therapy, reduce faculty positions; MS Speech Language Pathology, reduce faculty positions; AUD Audiology, reduce faculty positions; DPT Physical Therapy, reduce faculty positions. Reduce faculty positions by 4 FTE.
School of Pharmacy
Pharmacy: BS Pharmacy, reduce faculty positions; PharmD Pharmacy, reduce faculty positions; PhD Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, continue to move all faculty who can be moved from 12-month appointments to 9-month appointments. Reduce faculty positions by 8 FTE.
School of Public Health
Public Health: BS Public Health, reduce faculty positions, discontinue and merge with the BS in Health Services Management and Leadership; MPH Public Health, reduce faculty positions; MHA Health Administration, reduce faculty positions; MS Biostatistics, reduce faculty positions; MS Industrial Hygiene, explore the development of an intercollegiate collaboration to deliver this program; PhD Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, discontinuance, “The Provost’s Office supports the unit’s recommendation to discontinue this program despite its research exemption.” Reduce faculty positions by 14 FTE.
Faculty must appeal the preliminary recommendations by Aug. 18. Two sessions will be held Aug. 15 and Aug. 21 to share more information on that process. An information session for students and families hosted by the Division of Student Life and the Mountaineer Parents Club will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 17.
The provost will present the preliminary recommendations to the Board of Governors on Aug. 22. Most appeal hearings will occur Aug. 21-Sept. 5. Final recommendations will go the the BOG on Sept. 11. BOG will hear public comments on Sept. 14 and vote on the final recommendations on Sept. 15.
