Protests and chaos erupted on the WVU campus today as the Board of Governors elected to cut programs and faculty. Provost Maryanne Reed tried to allay fears.
“This is really, really hard and we know that emotions are high right now and I think we’re all just gonna have to settle with that or sit with that for a little while because we are going through this process,” said Reed, who is also WVU vice president for academic affairs. “But we do care very much about our faculty and our students.”
Reed says they need to reach out to their students who are hurt by this. She feels for those who were at the meeting and very distraught.
“These are young people who may not have all the information but also who feel very deeply,” the provost said. “So we will just need to find ways to connect with those students and to recognize and empathize with their feelings before we can move forward.”
When it comes to where WVU stands in relation to continuing or having certain programs – graduate math came up, to which Reed says there’s a lot of work that still needs to be done.
“To show that we can produce such a curriculum, that we have the people to deliver it and that there is an audience for it,” she said. “I am being completely honest with you in saying that is our intention.”
According to WVU president Gordon Gee, if you make decisions you are not always going to be popular. He says he feels confident about the future of this institution.
“I have no fear about what we are doing; I have every belief in what we’re doing and I’m going to enjoy being part of making a difference,” said Gee.
