Wheeling University

Wheeling University received positive news this week from the Higher Learning Commission, as the “financial issue” designation it gave to the university in July has been removed.

“We are grateful to our faculty, staff, students, Board of Trustees, and the Most Reverend Mark E. Brennan for their participation and continuous support of Wheeling University,” WU President Dianna Vargo said in a statement.

The designation was removed following an advisory visit from the HLC on Nov. 13-14, which focused on the university’s compliance with commission requirements.

The HLC in July tagged Wheeling University with a “financial issue” designation based on information showing WU’s own auditors had expressed substantial doubt about the institution’s ability to continue. The designation informs the public that current conditions at an accredited college or university raise potential concerns as to whether it can continue to support its programs at levels required by the HLC.

In a statement released in July, the university said the designation came from a snapshot from an audit of the university in 2023-24 but did not take into consideration changes made after July 1, 2024. University officials welcomed the visit “so we can demonstrate to them how dramatically this university has changed.”

The biggest change was naming Vargo Wheeling University’s president after former president Ginny Favede was suspended and relieved of her duties in February 2024 and was no longer employed by the university as of May 31, 2024. Vargo, the former superintendent of Ohio County Schools, had been serving as the university’s director of graduate education and accelerated certification for teaching programs when the university’s board of trustees installed her as WU’s interim chief operations officer.

Vargo was named university president in September 2024.

“We appreciate the role of the Higher Learning Commission and its importance to higher education,” said David Hendrickson, Wheeling University Board Chair.