The right leader at the right place and right time

Granted, the budget must be addressed and there will be some pain involved in the process.

But like all great institutions and businesses, it is necessary to evolve with the times, to right-size operations in correspondence with current-day situations while also looking for a vision to the future.

Our confidence in West Virginia University is twofold. First, the university will survive and thrive because of the great people of this state who know of the school’s importance, not just for educational purposes but as a key driver of economic development and quality of life initiatives throughout the Mountain State.

And just as important is that: WVU has tremendous leadership from one of the world’s great higher education administrators of our time, Dr. E. Gordon Gee.

It is Gee who has provided much of the visionary effort that has led WVU to become a world-class research institution. He is a major part of the effort for WVU Medicine’s expansion and the vision of its vital role in providing world-class care to the state’s residents.

If anyone can lead West Virginia University at a time when things appear rocky, it is Gee.

His steady hand and inspirational leadership has seen the school through other issues, and it is clear that he is prepared to move West Virginia University forward once again.

He understands the problems, is open to ideas and suggestions and will lead the effort to reshape the university as needed to prepare it for a brighter future.

“There is a shift that has been happening for a long time; one accelerated by the pandemic,” Gee wrote in a letter to WVU faculty, staff and students earlier this week. “We have been facing a declining student population, a declining college-going rate and a more competitive market for years.

“Our post-pandemic world has forced a change in the job market, leaning even more heavily on technology and healthcare. But perhaps, even more disconcerting is that we fight a pervasive narrative that a college education no longer holds the same value in today’s society.”

That is why Gee had started the university’s transformation in 2020, though he admits financial challenges have “added to the urgency.”

“… we are at an inflection point in higher education that we cannot ignore. We must adapt to be relevant to the students of today and the industry of tomorrow. We must make certain that education continues to be a founding pillar of our great nation. It is, in my view, our greatest hope to future prosperity.

“The data we gleaned through the Academic Program Portfolio Review and Realignment process positions us for meaningful discussions. It clearly shows what we are doing well. It also shows where we have room for improvement, for growth and for change.”

There is the word that frightens many, even those in academia who should know better that change is just part of the educational process, or the process of life.

We evolve, we grow.

Does that mean some programs will be lost? Yes. Does it mean there will be some job loss or transfer? Yes.

There is no doubt that as the university changes, so, too, will staffing needs. Part of what ails WVU, as well as higher education in general, is the thought that programs and staffing become perpetual.

That may have been the norm of the past, but in our ever-changing times it can’t be the standard for those institutions that wish to serve their true and great purpose.

At the end of the day, we believe as Gee believes, that brighter days are ahead for WVU and West Virginia because we know we must change.

“In five to 10 years, I see our University’s student success programs leading to increased retention and higher graduation rates. Our entrepreneurial spirit creating more industry partnerships that provide a strong pipeline for our students into internships, co-ops and jobs. I see our alumni being a formidable resource in continuing to assist our students in their purpose,” Gee wrote.

“We will differentiate ourselves with programs that serve our stakeholders and play to our strengths,” Gee wrote. “I believe we will lead new generations to study and appreciate the rich Appalachian arts and culture that surround us. And we will be a place that encourages the free exchange of ideas to advance a more informed and educated citizenry essential to a democratic society.

“More than ever, we will be a system that meets the needs of the students — providing degrees and experiences that will lead to meaningful careers and productive lives. We will be a system that invests in initiatives changing the trajectory of our region and its people.

“Our narrative is not one of reducing to be smaller. Our narrative is one of refining to be strategic — to be stellar.”

One of the great minds of higher education, Gordon Gee is where he is at for a clear and defined purpose. WVU — and West Virginia — is blessed to have his leadership, his passion, his vision and his commitment.