West Virginia University approves $7M in staff cuts and a 3% tuition increase

By LEAH WILLINGHAM
Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — With more cuts expected, West Virginia University’s governing board moved forward Friday with slashing 12 graduate and doctoral programs amid a $45 million budget shortfall. WVU’s Board of Governors also approved a just under 3 percent tuition increase. The estimated $1.2 billion fiscal year 2024 budget  includes $7 million in staff cuts, or around 132 positions. Thirty-eight of those positions are faculty positions. President Gordon Gee and other top university officials say the deficit, which officials say could rise to $75 million in five years, is largely a result of enrollment declines. The student population at West Virginia University has declined 10 percent since 2015.