WVU leaders take steps to find next president after high-profile campus cuts

Woodburn Hall on the downtown campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Lexi Browning | West Virginia Watch)

West Virginia University’s Board of Governors is moving along in its process of selecting the university’s next president.

Current WVU President E. Gordon Gee plans to step down from his role when his contract expires June 30, 2025.

His announcement came amid intense scrutiny on the university’s decision to eliminate 28 academic majors and hundreds of campus jobs, including faculty, due to financial issues . Faculty passed a sweeping symbolic vote of no confidence in Gee amid the changes.

During a special meeting on Monday, the Board of Governors publicly shared key steps in the hiring of the next university president.

Dr. Patrice Harris is a member of the West Virginia University Board of Governors and chair of WVU BOG Ad Hoc Governance Committee. (WVU Photo)

“This is a responsibility we take very seriously,” said Dr. Patrice Harris, chairwoman of an Ad Hoc Governance Committee, which is helping the board with the president search. “We want to hear from all constituents and stakeholders, to understand their perspectives on the qualities, skill sets, attributes and capabilities our next president should have.”

The university has released a Request for Procurement proposal to retain a search firm that will assist with the candidate selection.

“We look forward to reviewing the submissions as we identify and select the search firm that will help us find our next president,” Harris said. “In addition, the committee continues to work on the timeline for the search.”

Additionally, as part of the process, the board approved proposed procedures for the candidate selection, contract process and evaluation. The 30-day public comment period for the proposed rule begins Thursday and runs through April 18.

The changes outline how the next president will be evaluated on the job.

“The board chair must provide the president with a written evaluation each year, and the board must conduct a formal written evaluation at the end of the initial contract period and in every third year of employment,” said WVU Associate General Counsel Kylie Barnhart.

More details about the president search process are expected to be announced in April.

Last month, Gee told lawmakers that while campus cuts helped make up the projected $45 million budget shortfall, university leaders still had work to do on its 2025 fiscal-year budget.

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