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It now appears no state colleges would close in the legislatures effort to save the state $20 million, which was to have helped
with their budget shortfall. The legislature does say schools would be expected to streamline their operations and reduce
costs, under the higher education reform bill advanced by the Senate Education Committee yesterday.
The original poposal called for closing two state colleges, with speculation focuing on Glenville State.
Glenville State would apparently loose their community college component, which is about half of their enrollment, making it
strictly a four-year institution. Rosemary Thomas, a vice-president at GSC, said officials were mistaken, and GSC never
wanted to be seperated from their community college component.
The Calhoun Commission went on the official record last night against the closing of Glenville State, acknowledging
speculation about the closure has hurt the college's current enrollment.
Provisions of the new bill include:
Glenville State would lose its community colleges. Its branch campuses would be absorbed by Fairmont State, and by a new
New River Community and Technical College, administered by Bluefield State and serving southeastern West Virginia.
Those community-college networks eventually would have to become independently accredited â something Fairmont State
is moving toward, and something the bill would require Bluefield State to complete by the end of 2004.
Potomac State College would become a fully integrated division of West Virginia University.
It would have to reduce its operating costs per full-time equivalent student from the current $6,500 to within 10 percent of
average expenses for other two-year colleges, roughly $4,500 to $4,700.
Potomac State also would be required to focus its mission on liberal arts, agriculture and forestry, business, computer science
and education programs, and enter into cooperative agreements with Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical
College for community college offerings.
Bluefield State and Concord colleges would have to complete a comprehensive study to determine ways to afford
duplication and enter into collaborative agreements between the two Mercer County institutions.
State Higher Education Chancellor Michael Mullen stopped short of saying that would force the two colleges to merge.
The Senate bill permits annual tuition increases of up to 9.5 percent for students at four-year colleges and 4.75 percent for
community and technical colleges.
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