Growing up, my grandfather taught me that you should “hear others out” even if you disagree with their point of view. That lesson always served me well. At a minimum, it helps me understand the opposing viewpoint so that I can strengthen, or find the weaknesses, in my perspective. Frequently I come away with a better understanding and perhaps a different solution in mind.

During my time as both an undergraduate and a graduate student at West Virginia University, the core values of the university included free speech and open dialogue. I always appreciated those tenets and was thankful that while other colleges and universities received negative attention for various speakers being shouted down or forbidden from speaking, my beloved alma mater continued to hold to those values. I, however, felt compelled to write this op-ed after watching the WVU faculty assembly vote down a motion to allow the provost the opportunity to address them after having just voted no-confidence in the president of WVU. I was absolutely stunned. Any good analysis should ask what is to be gained by rejecting the opportunity to hear from the university’s chief academic officer.

I don’t think anyone is happy that WVU has to undergo a transformation like it is experiencing right now. I can’t imagine that President Gordon Gee or the WVU Board of Governors take any satisfaction with cutting certain programs or positions to close a $45 million budget gap. The reality, however, is that college enrollment is down nationwide and WVU has not been immune to that trend. Improving the fiscal picture is going to require increasing enrollment, and that will not be possible with closing the budget gap using tuition increases. That means there is one option — look for cuts in programs of declining enrollment and shift focus onto areas of growth. That is exactly what the administration is doing.

What the administration has resisted doing — rightly in my view — is asking the Legislature for more money. I have seen a fair amount of people and some organizations try to make this a partisan issue by making the inaccurate claim that this is the result of a Republican legislature cutting funding to higher education. That is unfortunate, as this is not and should not be a partisan issue. It does deserve some discussion, however.

State funding for higher education is important, but it makes up a relatively small proportion of a school’s budget. It is correct to say that funding for higher education is lower than it was 10 years ago. But it’s more important to look at when the bulk of the cuts actually occurred. In the spring of 2012, the West Virginia Legislature allocated — and the Governor approved — $175 million in appropriations to WVU for Fiscal Year 2013. Both the Legislature and the Governor were under Democratic control. The next several years saw significant cuts. In 2014, the Democratic Legislature and Democratic Governor appropriated $159 million to the university for FY 2015 — a $16 million reduction from two years earlier. These cuts continued through the FY 2018 budget when they bottomed out at a $141 million appropriation, a total reduction of $34 million over five years. That last reduction occurred under a Republican legislature and a Democratic governor when the state was staring at a nearly $500 million budget shortfall. Then something happened.

New policies passed by the Republican legislature and a Republican governor began resulting in an economic revitalization in the state. Since then, WVU and other public institutions have seen an increase in state appropriations, with the most recent budget including $158 million in appropriations. That amount does not include the $209 million additional funds public colleges and universities received this year for deferred maintenance or the $50 million allocated to bring a National Cancer Institute certification to the state through WVU.

I’m not putting this information out there as criticism of the Democratic Party — the state was facing some serious budget challenges and cuts were occurring everywhere. But it’s a fact that all of these cuts occurred under Democratic or shared control, and the subsequent increases have occurred under Republican control. To claim otherwise ignores the facts.

It seems apparent to me that WVU’s leadership has worked closely with the Legislature and the Governor on a number of projects — much to the benefit of the state and the school. This warm relationship is apparent as funding restorations have occurred multiple years in a row and our state government has invested heavily in particular programs or projects.

We are undoubtedly moving forward into a new paradigm in higher education. Many may look at that through a negative lens, longing for the days of yesteryear, but it should be viewed as an opportunity to be better prepared for the future. I think it’s probably safe to say that the buggy whip manufacturers were pretty unhappy when Henry Ford’s first Model T rolled off the assembly line. Very few question the value of the automobile today. I, for one, applaud President Gee and his team for tackling these tough times head on and working to ensure that WVU will not just survive in the future — but thrive.