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I was reading some comments on another thread https://www.city-data.com/forum/urba...downtowns.html and thought about the university/college situation in West Virginia. I didn't want to create a new thread, but I didn't find one that fit this topic well. So here we are.
My though is, should West Virginia continue to operate as many pubic colleges and universities as it currently does? Not including community colleges, branches of a university (ie: WVU Parkersburg), or specialty schools (ie: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine), I count 9 state universities.
WVU, Marshall, Fairmont, WV State, Concord, Bluefield, Glenville, West Liberty, and Shepard
On the surface, that doesn't sound like a bunch. But is it a practical number for WV?
My thoughts are,
> Concord and Bluefield State should merge
> Glenville State should become a part of the WVU system.
That would bring the number down to 7. All of the population centers would have a public university, and that would eliminate the state competing with itself in unnecessary ways. I'm a fan of competition because it fosters innovation, but the state is losing population and needs to focus on making what they have better.
My father and I both graduated from WV Tech. It was merged with WVU because WVU wanted its superior College of Engineering and enrollment was way down. Later they closed the campus in Montgomery and moved it to Beckley.
I was reading some comments on another thread https://www.city-data.com/forum/urba...downtowns.html and thought about the university/college situation in West Virginia. I didn't want to create a new thread, but I didn't find one that fit this topic well. So here we are.
My though is, should West Virginia continue to operate as many pubic colleges and universities as it currently does? Not including community colleges, branches of a university (ie: WVU Parkersburg), or specialty schools (ie: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine), I count 9 state universities.
WVU, Marshall, Fairmont, WV State, Concord, Bluefield, Glenville, West Liberty, and Shepard
On the surface, that doesn't sound like a bunch. But is it a practical number for WV?
My thoughts are,
> Concord and Bluefield State should merge
> Glenville State should become a part of the WVU system.
That would bring the number down to 7. All of the population centers would have a public university, and that would eliminate the state competing with itself in unnecessary ways. I'm a fan of competition because it fosters innovation, but the state is losing population and needs to focus on making what they have better.
Practically it worked out like a consolidation. Mountain State closed, and Tech moved their campus there because it's a better strategic location. I believe that for public higher education in West Virginia it's a win.
However, I hate how they did Montgomery dirty in the process! WVU straight up abandoned it and neglected it for many years prior to the move. WVU Tech's impact there was far greater than their impact in Beckley currently.
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