WVU to drop 32 majors, including all world language programs

In a move that affects hundreds of students and faculty, West Virginia University announced Friday it is recommending dropping 32 majors, including 20 post-graduate programs, as part of its restructuring in the face of a $45 million budget deficit.

The preliminary recommendations also included 169 faculty reductions, or 7% of the total faculty in Morgantown.

WVU is facing a $45 million budget deficit and projected enrollment declines of 5,000 students over the next decade. So far, in addition to the program review, the university has proposed $7 million in staffing cuts and approved a 3% tuition increase. To date, at least 130, mostly non-classified staff members at WVU have lost their positions as a result of the reductions.

Faculty and staff at the university have taken issue with the cutbacks, stating that WVU was not as well prepared as other universities faring better in the face of predictable changes in higher education. They assert the cuts and personnel reductions will affect the quality of the academic programs at WVU, as well as harm the school’s ability to serve its students and maintain its status as a research institution.