We are a comprehensive, public, landgrant, research university. The name implies that we are trying to remain excellent in teaching, programmatically diverse, publicly supported, engaged in significant research and outreach, and worthy of support. That's a tall order considering the times in which we live. Henry Rosovski 2 of Harvard points out that there is a loss of identity on many college campuses. Institutional loyalty among employees is at an all time low.
Less attention is paid by faculty to teaching, resulting in more student complaints.
Principles of academic freedom are often mistakenly applied to administration. This past year, in attempt to navigate the swirling seas of change upon which West Virginia University must navigate, we have undertaken several initiatives. First, we have tried to recognize the importance of students to our own self-interest and to publicly acknowledge that students, and their parents, are at the heart of our university. Over 2500 families have joined the Parents Club and they are providing us with daily input as to their needs and how we can better serve them. At the same time, we addressed research issues by the formation of a task force which attempted to form a consensus as to the focus our research should take.