Dear Potomac State College Alumni,
I trust everyone is having a great summer. It is quiet on campus during summer, as usual. Several classes are running but are online. This quiet period provides ample time to make facility improvements and to relocate some faculty to Reynolds Hall who have requested office moves. Additionally, several roofing projects are moving forward this summer and into the fall semester. Roof work is scheduled for Lough Gym, Science Hall, and others.
State approval should be forthcoming for the deferred maintenance list of projects. A total of $7.8 million was received for deferred maintenance needs across the campus. Most of the buildings need boilers, coolers, and other essentials and will receive replacements. Also, critical needs will be addressed in Science Hall and the Church-McKee Auditorium.
I want to give you an update on how Academic Transformation impacted PSC. In reality, the impact was very small. There are eight program areas at Potomac State consisting of 27 majors. These 27 majors include both associate degrees and Bachelor of Applied Science degrees. Just two major areas were recommended for consolidation.
It is important to note that no faculty terminations were recommended, and no programs were recommended for discontinuance. It is also important to note that many programs only have one or two faculty teaching in those areas. There is a total of 38 full-time faculty at WVU Potomac State College. Current faculty searches will bring that number to 41. There are approximately 35 adjunct faculty based upon course needs for any given semester.
Also, important to note, is there were no appeals from the division chairs or faculty program leaders regarding the Academic Transformation recommendations from the WVU Office of the Provost. I believe this is indicative of the recognition by the faculty that they need to adapt programs to make them more relevant and to create efficiencies while working to foster enrollment growth.
Regarding enrollment, student numbers are slightly down. However, given the challenges faced with the FAFSA debacle by the federal government, the declines in high school populations, and the decline in the college going rate, the current status of enrollment could be far worse. For the summer semester, enrollment is down thirteen students. For the fall semester, the numbers are tracking about 73 students behind last year. Once the kinks are worked out of the new FAFSA system, the enrollment numbers should increase.
I am happy to report that fall-to-fall retention rates of first-time freshman cohorts for 2020 through 2022 increased. There is an eight percentage points increase over the three-year period, which is substantial. The 2022 cohort retention rate is 60.2%. This number is expected to increase again. Any changes will be reported after the census period in October. The increase in retention is partially due to the advent of professional advisors on the campus as of two years ago. With the continued provision of professional advising, an increase in retention is expected next year as well.
I am happy to report that PSC has submitted a balanced budget to Morgantown for the first time in over a decade. Historically, the budget has had significant deficits. In FY17 there was a deficit budget of $2.3M. The deficit grew to its highest point in FY 19 to $3.7M.
In FY 24, the deficit was decreased to $332K. This year the projected budget is in the black with a margin of $7K. This was accomplished with some summer non-renewal of staff whose duties were consolidated with service areas at WVU Tech. Despite these reductions, enough funding was retained to allow for the return of much needed faculty lines.
I am pleased to share some great news with you:
1. PSC has entered the Ohio Reciprocity program and is expected to garner more students from Ohio who will start paying reduced tuition rates.
2. The athletic coaches are excited about the Ohio Reciprocity and are already recruiting athletes from Ohio. Also, contrary to rumors you may have heard, sports programs at PSC are not being eliminated. We are proud of our teams. Most recently the softball team won their first NJCAA World Series game.
3. The first cohort of Surgical Technicians has graduated. Each graduate passed the necessary certifications and are currently employed.
4. The fall 2024 semester marks the first cohort of the LPN to BSN nursing program at Potomac State. Private funding from the Bedford Falls Foundation supported the addition of two positions needed to begin the program.
5. Under development this year will be an associate degree in Engineering Technology that will be a pathway into the BS program in Morgantown.
6. A program to mentor students is being developed with the help of the PSC Alumni Association. This support from the PSC Alumni Association is greatly appreciated.
7. Dr. Megan Webb was recently hired as the Director of Development. We are happy to have her in the WVU system and back in Keyser to serve WVU Potomac State College as well as the local community. A position has been reconfigured for LaDonna Gardner who will be working more closely with the Alumni Association, Sabrina Cave, Megan Webb, and me. You will likely be hearing from both Megan and LaDonna!
Lastly, here is an update on the search for the next PSC Campus President. Dean Phil Douthitt is chairing a search committee comprised of faculty and staff. Sabrina Cave is serving on behalf of the PSC Alumni Association. At this point in the process, there is a strong pool of applicants.
The search committee will start to vet the applicants in early August and convene later in the month to determine a first round of interviews. After interviews, more vetting, reference checking, and conferring, it is expected that finalists for the position will be on campus during the first two weeks of October.
Thank you for all you do on behalf of PSC. I hope to see you all in the future.
Paul Kreider
Interim Campus President