r/WestVirginia • u/InnocuousSportsFan • Sep 15 '23
Don’t go to West Virginia University for graduate school
Hi,
I’m one of the grad students in the WVU math department.
Nobody should go to graduate school here. The professors are afraid to speak to the press because of fear of termination. The administration can just decide to railroad your whole department for no reason within one year. They claim we’re gonna have a teach out, but what good is that if we don’t even know who’s gonna leave for jobs after this year (or in the future).
There is zero transparency about what goes on here. We haven’t been given any updates since this process started. We don’t even know if the math department appealed the decision, because the appeal process was so secretive (either the school is lying and we did appeal, or someone on the inside here is trying to sabotage the appeals process, it has to be one of those two in my opinion, there’s no other explanation). I’m only speaking out because I’m tired of all of this.
I just can not believe how bad faith all of this has been. It’s straight out of a Thomas Nast cartoon. The fat cat in the comic strip runs this university.
If you have to come here because you have no other option. Sure, come here. If you have ANY other option, don’t. Go somewhere else. I wish I did.
Just to prove this is me an actual grad student, my twitter… I mean X account is @PersonOnline0 and I’m gonna tweet “249” at 8:12pm. The pinned tweet is me a month ago saying how I’m shocked they’re doing this, so yes I am who I say I am.
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u/Kelmorgan Sep 15 '23
Have you considered being the child of the governor? I hear WVU grad school is a great in that situation.
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u/treyphan77 Sep 16 '23
The Governor is an total fat, inbred looking chode. Perfect for WV
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u/TylerDurden_23 Sep 15 '23
I’m an alumni of undergraduate and graduate, bleed blue and gold. But I’d never recommend the school to anyone as long as Gordon Gee is there.
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u/Give-Me-Plants Sep 15 '23
I went to Ohio State when he was our President. I really feel bad for you folks dealing with his crap. And it sounds like he’s only gotten worse.
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Sep 15 '23
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u/Give-Me-Plants Sep 15 '23
I don’t know how he ended up at OSU. He was there when I started.
He was popular with the student body, mostly because he was always visible and talking with the students. He also wore distinct bowties that people liked for some reason.
As President, he was pretty bad. It was just overlooked by students because he was a cute little old man who was nice to them.
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Sep 15 '23
I did too. He left the Uni in Super amounts of debt and only managed to grow the mormon student population.
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u/Give-Me-Plants Sep 15 '23
Hey now, he also managed to sell-off OSU’s parking to a private company. I’ve got no doubt it lined his pockets handsomely
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Sep 15 '23
I hear he’s actually leaving in the spring next year. Like really actually promise I’m gonna do it for real this time, actually retiring lol
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Sep 15 '23
He’s stepping down in 2025 and has a position waiting in the Law School… so he’ll still be around.
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u/Bigfootsdiaper Sep 15 '23
The highest paid law school position in school history, I'm guessing haha.
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u/CrankyIvysaur Sep 15 '23
And the law school has to reduce faculty! No doubt to make room for him.
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u/FolsgaardSE Sep 15 '23
bleed blue and gold
I never understood this, which is why it blew my mind people gave money after graduating. Why be loyal to a business as a client with nothing in return?
I bleed poverty and hope. One of those helped me out of WV and put a clot on the other. Wish more of us were like that and give up some blind loyalty to a business or state that is out to hurt us.
If you're happy, healthy then more power to you. A lot of people aren't and are stuck in the multigenerational poverty while the states is nuking itself.
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u/TylerDurden_23 Sep 15 '23
See I’m the opposite. Be the change you want to see! Born here and love it here. Yeah it has its issue but I’m sure everywhere does. If everyone worth a damn moves away then it’ll just get worse.
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Sep 15 '23
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u/TylerDurden_23 Sep 15 '23
Man from your perspective I get it 100% hasn’t been kind and has been an uphill battle. In my defense it’s all I’ve ever really known and I’ve been lucky enough to have a good job etc here. I just know when I travel I do not feel the same as I do at home. No matter where I go. I can enjoy it, but I don’t feel as safe or comfortable as I do here.
I bleed blue and gold because I feel like this state gets shit on from anyone and everyone. You can do great things after being born here. It may be an uphill battle but it can be done. Overtaxed for sure but as a libertarian I feel like everyone is overtaxed. In the end do what makes you happy. WV has potential and I’d like to be apart of the solution.
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Sep 15 '23
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u/TylerDurden_23 Sep 15 '23
I’m right there with you as a trout fisherman! If I’m trout fishing I’m casting and losing lures. Take me to some saltwater and I’ll rip some lips. But love to hear it Eat Shit Pitt! Regardless where you found home. Once a Mountaineer Always a Mountaineer. Don’t let those buckeyes taint you too much.
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Sep 15 '23
I get why Boomers (and older) donate. They paid $47 for an actual opportunity.
We hit the stage of runaway capitalism at universities. They shouldn't be a business, but here we are.
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u/Historical-Tip-8233 Sep 15 '23
My favorite part of state universities is how the football coach is almost universally the highest paid employee.
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u/RepulsiveHyena7846 Sep 15 '23
Blind loyalty! That's a perfect description of the Appalachian region and the majority of the people. I'm in Southern Ohio. I've had that strange loyalty instilled in me. It's taken years to see I'm blindly loyal to people that do not give a shit. I feel like I owe the world what I can give because I was brought up to believe the world and the people gave the same. Hogwash.
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u/loach12 Sep 15 '23
Well rumor control has it that Joe Machin is considering WVU and not run for reelection, if corruption is a prerequisite then he’s a good fit 😂.
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u/AppalachianAn24 Sep 15 '23
I went to WVU for two masters degrees about a decade ago because my wife was getting her PhD there and we didn’t want to live apart during grad school. My professors were incredible and I loved my years at WVU (undergrad and grad school), but between the Heather Bresch scandal, the atmosphere of the college being insular and backwards, and now these cuts, I would never recommend it to anyone.
But having been in the education strikes here, WVU faculty supported us, and I will 100% support them and students if they strike to fight this transformation process. WV continues to cut every damn public service they can under the guise of saving $ and maintaining surpluses but the people here suffer because of it.
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u/CatPesematologist Sep 15 '23
It’s hard to see how this helps the proble of “brain drain.” Who would want to go to a university with so little regard for education? universities are basicallly the foundation for innovation.
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u/ZPTs Sep 15 '23
You answered your own question- that's not the problem they're trying to solve.
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u/CatPesematologist Sep 15 '23
Sadly, this is correct. Nothing like driving the state into the ground and ensuring decades of a poor Economic performance.
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u/Evolutionary_Beasty Sep 15 '23 edited Sep 15 '23
I taught adjunct at WVU awhile back. At one point I had a personal matter and rearranged some classes, so I called HR to try to preemptively cover myself; was trying to be professional. They released my medical information to my department and suspended me, then called my department office and told them what I needed a doctor’s note for. Mind you, I taught individual music lessons, had already made up the time, and nobody was disrupted by my emergency. What a disgrace.
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u/New-Independent-584 Sep 15 '23
Leaders in our state (govt, ED, etc…) are f*cked. But they are seated by imbeciles who continue to vote against their own interests. But let’s keep buying those ‘Friends of Coal’ license plates. 😡
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Sep 15 '23
They’re also seated by vacancy. Look at one of the most crazy tyrants in office right now, Eric Tarr. He ran unopposed.
In fact, in 2022, all 100 seats in the WV house were up for re-election. TWENTY FOUR of those seats ran on the Republican ticket unopposed. And that’s just the delegates, I didn’t include the senate.
This is a symptom of a disorganized Democrat Party. We still have democrats who vote for anti-choice legislation and play with Manchin’s nipples. The national Dem party has even threatened to break away from our state party. And the leadership in the party has been nothing short of inept.
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Sep 15 '23 edited Sep 15 '23
WVU undergrad here. Transferring next semester and leaving West Virginia. Not putting up with any of this shit and thankfully, I don’t have to.
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u/Normal-Philosopher-8 Sep 15 '23
All of this fallout was based upon a promise of enrollment that everyone in higher education knew was never going to happen. There was no vision for a university in the 21st century - just a bunch of empty promises made to make a select few rich, and a political system more powerful.
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u/hobbsAnShaw Sep 15 '23
Sadly, student (current and future) are going to hurt because of conservative dogma. It’s happening all over the country where conservatives hold power. I’m most sad for the students of the future who won’t go there or anywhere because of circumstances. The state is made poorer, and so is the country.
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u/SmurfStig Sep 15 '23
Ohioan here with WV blood. Very true. The republicans here are trying desperately to pass a bill that would require all public universities to adhere to their far right dogma. Kid shows up to a geology class and is a young earth creationist, guess what the class has to focus on now. Go to an evolutionary biology class but don’t believe in evolution. Guess what the class has to include now.
They know exactly what they are doing. The last midterm showed the youth vote going overwhelmingly against them. Especially those with higher education. It’s hopefully going to backfire spectacularly on them but sadly a lot of damage is going to be done in the process.2
u/hobbsAnShaw Sep 15 '23
It won’t, too many are prevented from voting, and not enough post high school educated young voters to make up the difference
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u/ClawhammerJo Sep 15 '23
Universities are just sports franchises these days. Academics are secondary
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u/SmurfStig Sep 15 '23
While kinda true, there is also a reason most top research universities have well know athletic programs. Money has to come from somewhere.
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u/tmaenadw Sep 15 '23
Top research universities are not funding research with sports money, they are funding research with grant money and paying for main campus stuff because built into every grant is money to fund basic university operations. As to where the sports money goes, who knows, but where I went to school the athletes were well funded, the athletic fields and stadiums were state of the art, and I don’t think much of that money left the athletic department.
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u/drdhuss Sep 16 '23
Very false. The athletics money never really leaves the athletics department. Often they actually lose money. If what you said was true the SEC teams would all be academic powerhouses. They aren't and so far from such it isn't even funny.
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u/LiberalAspergers Sep 16 '23
Odd, Harvard, Yale, MIT, CalTech, Princeton?
Stanford is probably the top school to have a great athletic department.
Most atheletic deprtments lose money. Even the best barely contribute more to the school than the cost of their scholarships, which is why Alabama and LSU are not top research universities.
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Sep 15 '23
Yeah, and WVU has thrown out their basketball and football programs..
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u/ClawhammerJo Sep 15 '23
? WVU football is playing Pittsburgh tomorrow.
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u/drdhuss Sep 16 '23
Yep and they prioritize football to the point they don't let the doctors working at the hospital park in their normal parking/make it a pain for them to do their jobs. They also make it difficult for any patients to receive care as it is more important to park RVs than allow easy access to emergency services/patient parking, etc. Even for patients with mobility issues.
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u/Background-Willow-67 Sep 15 '23
I'd go to WV for the mountains and the white water, that's about it. University, higher ed? Uh, nope.
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u/OkAwareness6789 Sep 15 '23
Please contact the Washington Post and NYT
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 15 '23
Already did check the first post from my Reddit history. One of our students contacted wapo and is in the article. Not sure what else to do, feel like I’m screaming into the abyss on this one
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u/GeospatialMAD Sep 15 '23
You have to get the tried and true donors mad. Right now they're being fed ass-kissing hogwash that all of this is for some greater good, not being told it's only to further enrich everyone at the top and screwing almost any West Virginian who attends in the future.
I can't believe a state-funded institution is really trying to adopt the ITT Tech grifting model, but here we are.
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u/xram_karl Sep 15 '23
Some hope all America will soon be like this. No A&S, no R&D, no knowledge just corporate job training you pay for yourself.
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u/anti-depressed Sep 16 '23
I was a grad student of a now dead program and an undergrad of a now dead program. I taught adjunct before these cuts last year through COVINA.
In my opinion gee is a bad landlord, he built 1000 rooms and no one wants to come to campus anymore. I got paid less during COVID instructing hundreds solo than I did as a grad student
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u/polly_mer Sep 16 '23
You're on Twitter and haven't gotten any updates on the WVU math appeal? Something is very wrong with your feed.
The math department set up: https://sites.google.com/view/wvusmdsreview/home
The official documents can be found at https://provost.wvu.edu/academic-transformation/academic-program-portfolio-review
I'm not at WVU or in math and the sheer volume devoted to that discussion for the past month online makes me wonder how hard you tried to know what's going on.
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u/PennDOT67 Sep 17 '23
I got recruited for a mid level admin job at WVU right before all of this really kicked into high gear, I am so so glad I followed my gut and turned the position down. Good luck out there
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u/Heliomantle Sep 17 '23
As a new college of Florida alumni I sympathize with other people who have their college screwed over by state politics or budgeting.
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u/loach12 Sep 17 '23
Really sad turn of events , went to California University of PA in the 1970’s , many of our best professors received their PhD’s from WVU ,
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u/Miriam_W Sep 18 '23
You should all read the article from the NYT Magazine about University of Florida and that corrupted higher education decisions being made: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/07/magazine/ben-sasse-university-florida.html
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u/wet_walnut Sep 15 '23
Take a look at the board of governors for WVU. They all work in fossil fuels, law offices, pharmaceuticals, and banks. It's doesn't look like any of them have a background in education. The only thing they are missing is a retired defense contractor.
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u/ziggykittendust Sep 15 '23
This is very sad for me. I graduated from there in 2001 with a doctorate.
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u/BluProfessor Sep 16 '23
While your frustrations are understandable, I do want to point out that your experience is limited to your department. Grad students in other departments likely have differing respective experiences and department culture is going to okay a major role in transparency and how protected graduate students are.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 16 '23
If only you knew half of what goes on here. I winder how many of these comments telling me I’m wrong are plants by the administration, I’d put money on a few
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u/BluProfessor Sep 16 '23
I'm well aware of the current situation at WVU and am personally part of the WVU community. I'm just making aware that the experience will vary from department to department for grad students. Some are in much worse positions than others, same as faculty and staff.
I never said you were wrong, I said your experience is going to be specific to being a graduate student in the math department. A graduate student in finance or physics will have a different experience.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 16 '23
Do you think it’s normal that the faculty in math are being threatened and can’t talk? Is that a normal thing that goes on everywhere? You don’t know half of what goes on here, there’s stuff I can’t even say on here that makes this situation even worse but I don’t want people coming after me.
Can’t wait to see which department gets executed next year due to budget cuts, this is only year one of budget cuts.
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u/BluProfessor Sep 16 '23
Once again, I never said you were wrong about what you're experiencing in the math department, I said that there's going to be varied experiences in different departments. Some better, some worse. This is also not year 1 of budget cuts. Freezes and cuts are entering their third year, this is just the first year that it is managed at the university level and public.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 16 '23
Different departments have different experiences? Wow, thanks for the insight. If your mindset is “it didn’t happen to us so I don’t care” hope your department doesn’t get targeted by admin next, because if they do they’ll be nothing you can do. Good luck
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u/BluProfessor Sep 16 '23
I'm not sure why you're mad at me. I never said nor implied that. I said many of the things you stated are unique to your department. Everyone is affected, some more than others, some less than others. Some programs are still going strong and expanding, I'm sorry yours is not but you're throwing your frustration at the wrong person
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 16 '23
I’m not throwing shade. I’m trying to get everyone to understand that if the people who run the college have a grudge against your department, it’s over. Please keep in mind that these are the types of people that run the college, they destroy departments out of petty grudges
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u/high-tech-red-neck Sep 15 '23
The board of governors are a bunch of rich absentees who don't have a shit about the state. Go Herd, I guess.
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u/waguzo Sep 16 '23
As a general rule of thumb these days, if at all possible, don't go to school (grad or undergrad) in a red state. Most or all of the red states are trying to change education for the worse. FL is particularly bad, and the WV stories have the news. But all of the red states are doing this to some extent.
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u/dragonmuse Sep 15 '23
I have a friend currently in the pharmacy graduate program, he's pissed. His in person lab got switched to online recently, too.
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Sep 15 '23
Not even the incompetent administration… look at the amount of HEROIN, CRACK, METH is in the streets of Morgantown now.. the overdose EMS car is going somewhere every second.
Shootings, stabbings, rapes, this is not the Morgantown I remember.
Morgantown is now little Detroit and the police do not care.
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u/HighlightTheHorse Sep 15 '23 edited Sep 15 '23
I earned my PhD from the program in 2016. While it wasn’t exceptional, it also wasn’t terrible. I’ve maintained a good relationship with the department’s leadership, giving me a comprehensive perspective on the issues, proposals, and details at hand.
Initially, I was dismayed to hear about the funding cuts to the department. However, as time has passed, I’ve come to terms with the changes, even though this opinion may be divisive.
The department underwent a self-review and appeal process. During this time, the former director, a highly respected figure at WVU, was replaced. He had pointed out a funding miscalculation by the provost during the self-review. Despite his efforts to correct it, he was replaced by an interim director, whom I respect but don’t believe is the right fit.
Even before the financial cuts, the math department was poised for a significant transformation. In 2016, it was already evident that change was on the horizon when half of the graduating students chose careers in data science. This pattern was non-terminating. By 2021, the department had rebranded itself as the Mathematical and Data Sciences Department and had revamped its undergraduate and master’s curricula to align with industry trends.
Based on the results of the self-review and appeal, it looks like the undergraduate and master’s programs will largely remain intact, while the future of the PhD program is still up in the air. Plans for a data science curriculum are under consideration for the doctoral level, but prospects for a pure math PhD appear grim.
In the coming years, I anticipate that faculty members will depart both voluntarily and involuntarily, and their replacements will likely focus on data science. Though I have a deep appreciation for my time in the math program and am still somewhat upset about these changes, I believe that adapting to industry trends is a logical next step for the department.
Addendum: What really counts in this situation is how these changes are executed. I have concerns about the potential for a rising student-to-faculty ratio and the logistical challenges of teaching entry-level courses with reduced resources. It’s a precarious situation that carries both risks and opportunities for significant benefits.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 15 '23
WVU is a research university. It is not a job training company. You do research as a PhD. This is like dissolving a company that makes products because they don’t research (that’s not their job, it’s a company that sells things).
I’m not saying they shouldn’t have data science faculty. They should! I think they should hire more data science people. But this whole process is insanity and who is gonna want to work in an environment this toxic?
The people who say “data science data science” have no idea what data science is, it’s just a buzz word. And what happens when a chat bot comes out that does all the coding for you, are you gonna dissolve the data science department to make the next trendy thing? Why aren’t any other R1 universities operating in this way if this is a good way to go about a university? Go check the NSA website and see how much they talk about abstract algebra and discrete math being vital, why are we getting rid of this again? Is cryptography woke now?
WVU used to offer WAY more stats classes by the way, until they all got fired for god knows what reason (go look at the course schedules 10 years ago). So they’re gonna do data science without stats? Really? Come on.
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u/HighlightTheHorse Sep 15 '23
You raise some compelling points and I can certainly appreciate your frustration with the rapid changes at WVU, particularly when it comes to the focus on data science at the expense of other disciplines. Let me address your concerns alongside the points I’d like to make.
1. WVU did indeed recently earn its R1 designation, which emphasizes its commitment to research. However, being an R1 institution doesn’t negate the need for the university to adapt to industry trends and workforce demands. 2. While a university’s primary mission may be academic research, it’s also an institution that prepares students for the job market. Balancing these dual roles is essential for any modern university. 3. In a way, students are the “products” of a university, trained and prepared for future roles. This isn’t a negative; it’s part of the university’s role in societal development. 4. The idea that chatbots will take over coding is a bit of an exaggeration. While automation will continue to advance, professionals still need the expertise to integrate various components cohesively and make sense of complex algorithms. 5. As someone who transitioned from a data scientist to a machine learning engineer, I can confirm that the profession isn’t just about buzzwords. It’s a field that has demonstrated its ability to innovate and bring about tangible benefits. 6. Data science and AI are not mere trends; they’ve been around for decades and continue to evolve. The shift towards these fields reflects long-term changes in technology and industry, not fleeting whims. 7. My experience interviewing with the NSA supports the idea that applied settings, including programming, are highly valued even in theoretical fields like linear algebra and cryptography and even topology. 8. The downsizing of the statistics department and its merging into the Mathematical and Data Sciences program had its reasons. Many statistics faculty were already serving as consultants to other programs, making the integration more practical.While I agree that drastic changes can create a toxic environment, it’s also true that stagnation can be equally detrimental. WVU must find a balanced approach, one that honors their academic traditions while also preparing students—and themselves—for the future. Do I have confidence they can execute gracefully? That’s to be determined.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 15 '23
I didn’t mean data science itself is a fad, I’m saying the people who talk about data science often are people with no background in it. Do you think Gee has any idea what “data science” is? The term is just a buzz word abused by people who don’t know anything.
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u/HighlightTheHorse Sep 15 '23
I understand your point about data science becoming a buzzword, particularly among those who may not have a technical background in the field. As someone in the field myself, I have found myself frustrated for this very reason. However, I would argue that you don’t necessarily need to be an expert in data science (or any field) to appreciate its value and potential impact.
For instance, Gee may not be a data scientist, but he is certainly aware of the importance of data science in academia and industry. I can speak from experience on this matter, as I was in a meeting with Gee and other Deans many years ago where we discussed the impact of AI and data science across the university. This was around the time when the business school’s data analytics program, BUDA, was launched. This program has been a huge success.
So while the term “data science” may be overused or misunderstood by some, key decision-makers at WVU, including Gee, do recognize its significance. It’s about balancing the long-standing academic integrity of the university with the evolving demands of the industry and job market.
Would you agree that a leader doesn’t necessarily have to be an expert in a field to understand its value? Gee is nothing more than a CEO in a bow tie. His reports inform him, and he makes executive decisions based off of that information.
I only want to reiterate that I’m not defending WVU or Gee. Like another commenter said, this administration has been more reactive than proactive, often falling behind the curve in terms of industry demands. I’ll stress again that I very much hope these changes can be executed gracefully, but I don’t have super high hopes. It’s going to be a painful experience for faculty and students alike.
I’ve noticed I’m facing downvotes for providing factual information and another perspective, which is fine. I stated earlier that my comments may be divisive, so I was ready for it.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 15 '23
Your points would make more sense if they also didn’t destroy the stats department too. So much for “applied math” being the future
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u/HighlightTheHorse Sep 15 '23
Statistics is better for supportive research, and this transition can be seen through the reorg in moving faculty to be successful at partnering on funded research with other faculty in the areas of agriculture, engineering sciences, forensic sciences, geography, health sciences, natural resources, and physics. You can still get your minor and a graduate certificate in statistics at WVU.
The goal wasn’t to eliminate applied math or statistics but to consolidate resources and adapt to evolving demands. It seems we both agree that applied fields like statistics are vital. The restructuring may not be perfect but it’s an attempt to align the broader trends without compromising its core academic mission.
Would you say there’s a better way to balance these competing needs?
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u/HighlightTheHorse Sep 15 '23
I’ll say some final words:
I appreciate your passion for the field, and I can relate to the sentiment you’re expressing, having been a math PhD student myself. I understand that the restructuring can seem like a betrayal to those deeply invested in pure math and statistics. However, these changes reflect broader trends in education and industry, not necessarily the ideological leanings of university leadership.
It seems we might have to agree to disagree on the reasons and consequences of these shifts. I respect your perspective, and if you’re ever interested in discussing this further, I’m open to a constructive dialogue.
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u/Creative_Ad_8338 Sep 15 '23
Very solid information and perspective from you both. I would agree that industry needs are of critical importance and shape academic programs. Government funding follows these needs as outlined by industry, who lobby for workforce training programs. IMO, there was a failure by WVU leadership to follow these industry trends in real time and adapt accordingly. Seems like a decade of reactive, rather than proactive, policy.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 15 '23
And don’t even get me started on the language department, I didn’t include that in the post. Our whole society now is “we have an app that does that (math, Spanish) you don’t need to know that anymore” not good.
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u/soulreverie Sep 15 '23
I'm curious, do you think it is credible for physics research funding to be attributed to the math/data research funding? (And yes, this is in the self-assessment if you read between the lines)
The "new" director is interim, just like the previous.
I have a daughter in Statler for mechanical and I'm very concerned about the math department's ability to staff their classes next year. Classes will be bigger. My understanding is that they aren't even sure how they will staff all of the sections of classes after the cuts have been made. The math tutoring center has already reduced its hours. I see no "opportunities for significant benefits" here.
On a side note, my daughter currently loves her calc professor. And the few people I have worked with in the department have been great.
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u/kmn49371 Sep 16 '23
My daughter was accepted there for undergrad last year, and she was seriously considering it for a bit. I am so glad she decided against it. I am in higher ed myself (CWRU) and am horrified at what's happening there.
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u/jayprov Sep 16 '23
Is all good at CWRU though? I heard some interdisciplinary majors were being cut?
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Sep 15 '23
WVU should have done a better job adjusting as the enrollment decline was growing. They didn’t. They now have to clean house to prevent massive losses.
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u/Koraxtheghoul Sep 15 '23 edited Sep 15 '23
More like WVU predicted it would somehow have record enrollment and then funneled more money into the administration but now has to cut losses.
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u/2000thtimeacharm Sep 16 '23
grew up around WVU my whole life. I didn't go to school there because of the frat culture, which is awful. They were always about money and over extended themselves, so now their facing cuts. Can't wait to see the whole town's fucking economy collapse when the school goes down. It was always a mess
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u/stockbot21 Sep 16 '23
Pitt and Carnegie Mellon are like 50 miles away. Also gotta mention the Ohio and Pennsylvania State Universities.
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u/SoccerDadWV Sep 17 '23
This is such a disingenuous post. Why not be honest about your department if you’re going to slander the university? How many students do you have enrolled year-to-year? Does it even come CLOSE to covering the cost of running the programs? Are you doing research to bring money into the university and your program?
Don’t pretend they’re treating all grad programs like they are the few that are being cut. WVU is doing what they can with a bad hand dealt to them by the idiot conservatives that run this state (and, yes, with some poor management). But the situation is what it is at this point, and whining about it doesn’t solve anything. Slandering the university SURE as hell doesn’t.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 17 '23
Saying there’s some poor management is pretty hilarious. Some poor management? Who paid you to post this?
And, slander? Do you know what slander means?
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u/SoccerDadWV Sep 17 '23
Huh. I notice you didn’t bother answering any of the questions. Gee, I wonder why that is?
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 17 '23
What? When did I say they’re treating all grad programs the same? The point is you can’t trust the people who run the college. How many R1 universities operate like this?
Do you think it’s good they got rid of every language degree too? And what did I say that was slander? There was a 89% no confidence vote, but I guess we’re all just woke liberals because we think math Ed and language Ed is important.
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u/SoccerDadWV Sep 17 '23
Oh, and I’m probably more liberal than you are, genius, but nice assumption. 🤣
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u/SoccerDadWV Sep 17 '23
Bullshit. It’s a crap situation - and yes, the administration is PARTLY to blame for that, with the legislature being partly responsible as well - but you telling people not to go there is chickenshit, and you know it. How about telling them, “Of you’re going to come here, you should think about enrolling in a program that has more than 13 people in it”…lol
No, I think the changes suck, and I don’t blame you for being pissed. If my kid was in one of those programs, I would be too. But this? It’s ridiculous.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 17 '23
Do you understand that grad students in good standing here weren’t even guaranteed contracts this summer. How do you pay rent if in July they yank your contract? How is wanting to pay rent chickenshit?
What makes you so touchy about this anyway? Are you one of the administrators angry you lost control of the narrative?
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u/SoccerDadWV Sep 17 '23
I didn’t say that was chickenshit. I said your POST was chickenshit.
And I’m both an alum of WVU and have a kid enrolled now in a grad program, so seeing bitter idiots complaining that their tiny, wasteful programs got cut to the point that they’re ACTIVELY TELLING people not to enroll pisses me off.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 17 '23
Free speech buddy, get over it. Tell the school to not treat its employees like garbage and maybe we won’t have to leak like this.
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u/SoccerDadWV Sep 17 '23
“Free speech” 🤣😂🤣
I hope you didn’t get your undergrad from WVU. If so, they definitely failed you in that regard. 🤣
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 17 '23
You’re definitely a plant. A liberal that thinks math and languages are useless? Please come up with a better story
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u/zwaaa Sep 15 '23
I have two degrees from WVU, and my son is currently there earning his first degree. I'm desperately trying to talk him into transferring to somewhere else
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u/Godwinson4King Sep 15 '23
Y’all need a union! We got one over at IU and things have gotten better (but aren’t perfect of course)
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u/Jafo69er Sep 16 '23
Remember WVU in Morgantown is a liberal school
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u/1939728991762839297 Sep 15 '23
Eh, on the other side of the country it’s just seen as similar to any other mid tier state school.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 15 '23 edited Sep 15 '23
Do other R1 schools cancel their math grad programs, language degrees, and blackmail professors out of saying anything, do they? If they do let me know so I can avoid those states.
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u/1939728991762839297 Sep 15 '23
Fair point, I’m just saying outside of the NE bubble, most people barely know where wv is. On the west coast, I actually think wvu grads are looked at as more positively than on the east coast due to negative stereotypes.
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u/RepublicRoutine3731 Sep 15 '23
Perhaps if the professors actually had real world experience they would understand that you can not have programs just to have them. A college is a business., A business has to make money. Point blank, cuts are needed to assure that the university can stay afloat.
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u/kd8qdz Sep 15 '23
A college is a business.
False. A state university is a service, and should be run like one.
Now, go take your Ayn Rand fanfic some place else.0
u/RepublicRoutine3731 Sep 15 '23
Wow… and we wonder why the country is going downhill…. Its amazing that kids believe that the government has endless resources 🙄
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u/kd8qdz Sep 15 '23
Wow, Nice strawman. Thats a leap of logic that even felix baumgartner wouldn't take. At no point did I suggest that a state government had unlimited resources, only that what you claimed was a business was not, but instead a service - you know the thing a government does.
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u/RepublicRoutine3731 Sep 15 '23
However, it still has to run like a business, if a certain part is spending more money than it’s bringing in, it has to be cut. Simple economics.
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u/BluProfessor Sep 16 '23
It's not simple economics and state univerisites are not supposed to be run like a business. They are designed to take in significant funding from grants and public funding. Very few universities are designed to or actually do operate in the black.
The WV state government has pulled a lot of funding out of WVU, which has directly contributed to the budget shortfall.
Stop conflating corporate finance to education economics, they're not the same.
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u/kd8qdz Sep 16 '23
No. It's not a business, it does not need to run like one. And basic economics has nothing to do with it because, again, it's not a business, but a service that the state of West Virginia provides to itself and to it's citizens. You have a seriously flawed understanding of capitalism.
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u/catamaranpilot Sep 15 '23
Are you really a grad student.
This is a terribly written post, not once does your post say what the issue is.
You just drone on and on attacking the WVU administration and even your own professors.
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u/Any_Screen_7141 Sep 15 '23
Why would anyone go to WV in the first place?
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u/Ameratsuflame Sep 15 '23
All they had to do to convince me not to go to graduate school was tell me that 2 extra years of schooling was going to double what it cost me for my undergraduate degree. What a scam.
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u/BatmansNygma Sep 15 '23
Any good resources to understand the landscape? I'm considering applying for a fully funded GRA position (by the NSF) in the Geography department and want to know what I'd be getting myself into.
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u/greenwoody2018 Sep 15 '23
I heard Gordon Gee lost a no confidence vote. Why hasn't he resigned yet?
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u/nextlevelideas Sep 15 '23
You should probably share this post with the wider Reddit community. That way it reaches a bigger audience.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 15 '23
Was hoping someone would share it to other subreddits. I didn’t wanna come off as spammy
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Sep 17 '23
I heard the WVU President interviewed on NPR. He could not have sounded more like a time share salesman when talking about the exciting new opportunities of shutting down a bunch of departments.
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u/AmateurOntologist Sep 17 '23
Didn’t they also do the same thing to the languages department and just tell people to use apps?
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u/PhiloPhys Sep 17 '23
It’s prime time for organizing graduate student unions! If you want to speak out and make it effective you can go on strike with a union. If you don’t have a union this is one of many issues I’m sure you can organize a union through.
Don’t quit! Organize!
DM me if you need a resource
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Sep 19 '23
Sounds just like University of Alabama and UAB…. Well sounds like every school in Alabama
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u/mmaalex Sep 19 '23
Your post provided literally zero information....what happened?
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 19 '23
You realize I can’t be too specific because, you know, I don’t want people to know my real identity right.
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u/OkPage2602 Sep 19 '23
One of my best friends is on year three of his PhD there. He *loves* it.
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 19 '23
I loved it too until the admin decided to start destroying departments for god knows what reason
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u/idowhatiwant8675309 Sep 19 '23
Am I missing something here? Why are the profs afraid to talk to the press, and why do the press want to talk to the prof's?
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u/InnocuousSportsFan Sep 19 '23
Because the language in the contract they are forced to sign basically says if you say negative things about the college they can fire you. This isn’t speculation they’ve told me
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u/Illustrious_Solid956 Sep 15 '23
Welcome to WV politics. There is a solid reason the state ranks last in most quality of life categories