Pierpont and other WV BOG degrees may be in danger

[rachel83az]

There are some big scandals/conflicts brewing in West Virginia right now. The first is that some important people at some institutions (largely WVU, I think) have been found to have been chartering expensive single-person flights instead of driving 2 hours. This is wasting a lot of money. 

The second is that because these/this universities "have no money", they're shuttering a bunch of programs that "make no money". Students and staff are disputing that these programs don't earn money at all. They're pretty popular. 

This probably explains why Pierpont has decided to start charging students $130 for the BOG AAS. If it doesn't make money, these budgetary issues may mean that they have to shutter the whole program.

[jg_nuy]

So sad. The overall head for WVU E Gordon Gee is notorious for financial shenanigans with prior scandals at Brown and OSU.

[rachel83az]

The governor apparently also isn't a big fan of liberal arts programs, but that doesn't really explain why they're shuttering Math degrees.

[allvia]

A fee of $130 for them to process all the (alternative) transcripts is not unrealistic or extreme. It is still cheaper than the $300 single credit course folks here used to have to take with Pierpont in order to get a transcript. There is still no way to get an associate degree cheaper (especially one with so many concentration options). I'm surprised it took this long to apply some sort of fee, the money to pay Nancy Parks (& other staff), the mail processing of awarded degrees, etc - someone needs to pay for it. There is no valid reason the taxpayers of WV should be paying for 'our' degrees we earn through methods used on this forum; unless of course, one was actually from VW (which I'm certain is the rare recipient from this forum). Hopefully this fee allows them to at least break even on the BOG AAS - I would hate to see it go away.

[LevelUP]

There are some big scandals/conflicts brewing in West Virginia right now. The first is that some important people at some institutions (largely WVU, I think) have been found to have been chartering expensive single-person flights instead of driving 2 hours. This is wasting a lot of money. 

The second is that because these/this universities "have no money", they're shuttering a bunch of programs that "make no money". Students and staff are disputing that these programs don't earn money at all. They're pretty popular. 

This probably explains why Pierpont has decided to start charging students $130 for the BOG AAS. If it doesn't make money, these budgetary issues may mean that they have to shutter the whole program.

If we are going to talk about wasting money in college, we should discuss how much is wasted paying these coaches millions of dollars, which should be illegal for any college receiving government money for tuition.

Any degree with the word 'studies' in it is often considered relatively less valuable. Some of these programs have been eliminated. The fine arts have also suffered significant cutbacks.
https://mountainstatespotlight.org/2023/...s-layoffs/

There is speculation that Joe Manchin will soon be leading West Virginia. Given that West Virginia is the most Republican-leaning state in the nation, with only a 20% approval rating for President Biden, it seems unlikely that he will be reelected for the Senate to say the least.
https://www.businessinsider.com/manchin-...ign-2023-9

[bjcheung77]

Oh ouch, that's harsh, I don't think it's just them, I believe other states are in the same boat... as Banking, Government, Institutions, Healthcare, Manufacturing, etc, whatever industries there are, processes and policies, politics, everything I can think of, have these kinds of people who create loopholes for themselves or game the system. That is where the majority of the 'rich get richer' and the poor get poorer...

[Avidreader]

I wished things would go in the opposite direction. States should see an economic value in these degrees. More people with college degrees = higher probability of getting jobs with higher salaries = states accrue more taxes.

I don't mind paying 130 usd at all. The fact the university is so busy issuing diplomas is proof this program is a huge success. I am wondering how many people that got BOG degrees later on signed up for other classes in this college taking advantage they already have an account.

[DolceDolce]

There are some big scandals/conflicts brewing in West Virginia right now. The first is that some important people at some institutions (largely WVU, I think) have been found to have been chartering expensive single-person flights instead of driving 2 hours. This is wasting a lot of money. 

The second is that because these/this universities "have no money", they're shuttering a bunch of programs that "make no money". Students and staff are disputing that these programs don't earn money at all. They're pretty popular. 

This probably explains why Pierpont has decided to start charging students $130 for the BOG AAS. If it doesn't make money, these budgetary issues may mean that they have to shutter the whole program.

It could also be that they are reviewing budgets for next term or next year, and it was finally observed that the BOG Degree Program should rightfully encounter a new student fee - for consistency across all programs, as well as was a financial resource previously lacking for the BOG degree program, and perhaps can't be sustained any more, in part due to the popularity of the BOG Degree.

[staceydiane]

Since I moved to WV a couple of weeks ago, I've been following the news about WVU. I am still not sure if I am going to do my Regents BA degree at WVU (or the university down the road from me) but I should decide pretty soon.

I'm already not a fan of the state government here.

I don't mind paying the $130 for Pierpont at all. It's still an awesome deal.

[funknola]

If we are going to talk about wasting money in college, we should discuss how much is wasted paying these coaches millions of dollars, which should be illegal for any college receiving government money for tuition.

Generally, a large percentage of a coaches contract isn't paid by the college itself.

For example: Nick Saban makes around $7 million as Alabama's football coach. Only $250,000 was paid by the university. The remainder is "Supplemental Compensation" which is funded by media, sponsorship and apparel contracts.