The current budget crisis at West Virginia University (WVU) underscores the vital role of education in safeguarding justice in the digital age. As hubs for the development of cutting-edge technology and the molding of critical thinkers who drive progressive change, institutions of higher learning are indispensable. When these institutions face threats, the effects ripple throughout society.
WVU, the state's crowning educational jewel, faces a daunting $45 million budget deficit. Historically, dwindling state funding has forced the university to turn increasingly to tuition for sustenance, setting it apart from its better-endowed peers. Combine this with a decline of roughly 5,000 students over a decade and unanticipated expenses, such as a sudden $10 million increase due to state health insurance adjustments, and the institution's financial health appears dire.
Dr. Chad Topaz
In a bid to mitigate this crisis, the university's decision-makers have unveiled plans for deep academic program cuts. Notably, the endangered programs encompass graduate tracks in the School of Mathematical and Data Sciences and, alarmingly, the comprehensive Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. The implications of these cuts go beyond course offerings. They are a microcosm of the challenges confronting higher education and bring to the fore critical questions of social justice that should concern all of us.
Here are some of the issues at stake.
Educational Access and Equity: At its essence, social justice emphasizes universal access to educational resources, irrespective of socio-economic or geographical backgrounds. WVU's impending program cuts stand to rob many West Virginians of this very access. For many, especially those who cannot venture out-of-state, this might mean the end of their academic aspirations in these disciplines.
Economic Mobility: The world stands on the cusp of a data revolution. In such times, axing avenues in mathematics—a field instrumental to data sciences and analytics—risks thwarting students' potential for upward economic mobility.
