×

Benson has big plans for WVU and W.Va.

West Virginia University President Michael Benson had a lot of big ideas in his first State of the University address this week. They come as he is in the middle of an effort to visit every county in the state — an important attempt to truly understand his new home and the state his university serves.

Sure, it’s nice to learn the holiday lighting party will return to Woodburn Hall this year, but it is also encouraging to hear Benson has a realistic understanding of the challenges faced by the university, and the need to tackle them — with help from those who responded to the Strategic Compass Feedback Survey and other stakeholders.

To “win West Virginia” when it comes to in-state enrollment, WVU will have to be realistic about declining high school graduation figures.

“That’s just a fact of life. There’s nothing you can do to produce 19-year-olds overnight,” Benson said. “So, we are going to have to go north into a state like Pennsylvania that graduated 118,000 high school students, as did Ohio.”

He also talked about the importance of steering those graduates to the programs and campuses that fit their needs, even as he touted Morgantown as one of the top 15 college football towns in America … “when we’re winning.”

Benson has his eyes focused on the prize of WVU becoming a member of the Association of American Universities, to boost its profile among those handing out federal university research and development dollars.

But “this is not something you flip a switch and it all magically just happens. It’s an inexorable path that is arduous. It’s long-term. As I said, it may take several years. It will take several years, but the process of passing through it is going to make us better.”

He’s right. It’s not a switch. But it is a dial Benson seems to be willing to start turning. That is good news, but only if it comes with a realization on the part of university officials that they MUST work to provide an affordable, accessible education that will truly prepare students for a quality-of-life-sustaining career once they’ve obtained their degrees.

Students must be confident that if they attend WVU, the education and experience they receive will be worth the money they spend, and will leave them well-positioned to set out on the next chapter in their lives rather than drowning in debt with few good employment prospects.

Benson’s vision is a good one. While he pursues success in “winning West Virginia,” however, it will be just as important that he and the university aim to win FOR West Virginia.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today