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Where’s the Public Concern About WVU?

I wouldn’t call myself a public higher education reporter specifically. My beat is state government, so I tend to cover higher education policy in the state from that mindset. Public colleges, universities, and community/technical colleges are very strange bodies for me to cover. In a way, they are public/private hybrids. Direct state funding only makes up a small portion of their budgets, which rely mostly on tuition from students. But taxpayers are more involved with the state’s public higher education system than they might realize. Nearly all are regulated by the state ...

Our Amazing Minds — Tools That We Must Harness and Utilize

Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and a former Republican presidential candidate, said, “I’m the only one to separate Siamese twins, the only one to operate on babies while they’re still in their mother’s womb. The only one to take out half of a brain, although you would think if you go to Washington that someone had beat me to it.” That statement made me think about the power of the mind. What he said was both comical and thought provoking. Maybe you have heard this one too, “You don’t have a brain in your head!” But you know it’s simply not true. If a person is ...

Americans Should Be Concerned About Future of Taiwan

During the last week of August, I traveled to Taiwan as part of a US Congressional Delegation. Taiwan has been a separate government from mainland China since 1949, when the leaders of the Republic of China fled to the island after losing a civil war to the Chinese Communist Party. Taiwan is now facing renewed aggression from mainland China and fears of a military invasion. With China emerging as America’s biggest geopolitical enemy and aligning itself with violent autocratic regimes like Russia and North Korea, America must continue to stand with and defend our democratic allies ...

Gee, WVU Tackling Tough Budget Issues Head-On

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 ...

Candidates Jockey for ‘Poll’ Position

I feel like I’ve been writing a lot about polling this summer, especially about polling of the Republican race for West Virginia’s next governor, but events last week are causing me to write once again. The West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, WV MetroNews and Research America chief pollster Rex Repass have taken a beating after a data mistake caused them to release a poll showing Attorney General Patrick Morrisey down further than he actually was. The annual West Virginia Poll released on Sept. 1 had Morrisey down 23% compared to 32% for House Judiciary Committee Chairman Moore ...

WVU, Gee Making Right Changes To Move Ahead

There are a couple of consistencies in life: One is that change is constant, and the second is that people — in this situation, some members of the WVU Faculty — are generally afraid of change. If you add rampant misinformation spread around the internet into the mix, it creates a bit of a perfect storm, much like what we see happening in Morgantown right now with West Virginia University. Since the university announced that it was making necessary changes to modernize its educational delivery — which, yes, includes cutting departments and majors that may no longer be serving a ...