Government Relations

The West Virginia University Board of Governors today (Feb. 8) gave final approval to a trio of updated policies, and also sent out for comment the latest updated rule as it works to complete policy revisions in the wake of the adoption of laws permitting more independence from the state Higher Education Policy Commission. The three rules, unanimously approved, deal with conflicts of interest, outside consulting and ethics; identify theft detection and prevention; and a tobacco-free campus.

A clarification and tightening of West Virginia University’s tobacco-free campus rules was approved for comment Friday by the Board of Governors. The move is part of an ongoing revision of University governance stemming from the state Legislature’s adoption last year of laws permitting more independence from the state Higher Education Policy Commission.

In this edition of Gee Mail, West Virginia University President Gordon Gee visits with students who have undergone life experiences that are different from others on campus. They are veterans of the United States Armed Forces, and their journeys beyond the military have stretched to the campus of WVU.

The West Virginia University Board of Governors on Friday continued adjusting the institution’s governance rules in response to the state Legislature’s adoption of laws permitting more independence from the state Higher Education Policy Commission.

West Virginia University and Morgantown city leaders are working together to create solutions for the area’s health problems at their source by creating a community that supports wholeness and improves physical, mental and social well-being for residents.

Robert O. “Bob” Orders, a longtime West Virginia businessman and West Virginia University alumnus, will serve as chairman of the West Virginia University Foundation Board of Directors.

When Bob Roberts first walked on to the West Virginia University campus, he was a 23-year-old non-commissioned officer with the U.S. Air Force, working with ROTC. Now, more than 37 years, later, he’s preparing to retire after 33 years – the last 28-plus as chief of what is now the University Police Department.

Bob Roberts, chief of the West Virginia University Police, has been named national chief of the year by the National Association of Campus Safety Administrators. Roberts “is a proven leader with the ability to use logic and reason to solve today’s problems facing police in higher educational settings,” the association said in announcing the award in the “sworn officer” category.

Continuing its work implementing changes allowed by the “freedom agenda” adopted by the 2017 Legislature, the West Virginia University Board of Governors issued a notice of proposed rulemaking Tuesday (March 6) for an amended set of academic rules and one additional faculty rule.

West Virginia’s economy is in transition, and it will take a collaborative effort by business, government and academia to ensure revitalization instead of stagnation, leaders from all three areas said Wednesday in releasing a summary of findings of a study entitled “West Virginia Forward: Maximizing our Opportunities for Prosperity.”