By Jeff Jenkins, WV MetroNews
July 20, 2020
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Words being used by education leaders in West Virginia show the significant impact the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had on both secondary and higher education.
“Our enrollment and room and board are down, auxiliary activities have been cut out, we’re staring down the possibility of closing multiple colleges this fall,” state Higher Education Chancellor Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker told U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and others involved in a feedback session hosted by the senator last Thursday.
Tucker said while the top priority remains the health and safety of students, faculty and staff, the schools need an infusion of revenue.
“We ask for flexibility and any funding that could be directed to the institutions particularly to replace lost revenue,” Tucker said.