WVU would have to operate ‘center for civics’ overseen by political appointee, bill says

West Virginia University would be required to operate a civics learning center focused on teaching constitutional studies and “great debates of Western civilization” overseen by a governor’s appointee, according to a bill approved by the House of Delegates.

It would be called the Washington Center for Civics, Culture and Statesmanship. 

“There can be pressure from such institutions on how to teach certain subjects,” said House Majority Leader Pat McGeehan, R-Hanock, on Friday as the House debated the bill. “Academic freedom to these professors to teach how they want to to teach is very attractive today.”

The unfunded mandate comes in the wake of WVU’s budget crunch that resulted in axing 28 academic majors and hundreds of jobs, including faculty members. The university also recently shuttered its Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion following Gov. Patrick Morrisey’s ban on state funds for entities using the diversity initiatives.  

The measure, House Bill 3297, drew concerns from House Democrats, who voiced concerns about the governor having the final say on who would oversee the center.  

“I’m not big on government mandates and big government. You can check my voting record on that,” said Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio. “This is setting up some cush position for the governor to appoint somebody. This is a beautiful handout for a bureaucrat.” 

Del. John Williams D-Monongalia, said the university already offers dozens of courses across multiple majors that could accomplish the bill’s goals regarding course offerings. 

“By and large, my experience at this university, and I think the experience of other people, is one in which political science [and] philosophy professors don’t tip their hand. It’s hard to tell where they are politically as it should be because they’re challenging our students,” said Williams, who graduated from WVU.

“I don’t like that we’re meddling, particularly with the political science department, where there are renowned, locally famous teachers … and now, we’re going to come in and mess with their major and how they teach their students,” he said. 

The bill doesn’t come with funding to pay the center’s director or any faculty members hired to teach its programs. The center’s director could hire tenure-track faculty, which is different from the university’s current faculty hiring process. 

Del. Chris Phillips, R-Babour, told lawmakers during bill debate, “I’ve been told the university supports this.”

WVU Communications Director April Kaull told West Virginia Watch that the university does not have an official position on the legislation.

“We believe civics education and statesmanship are important values to our state and nation. Many of our existing programs, especially in the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, focus on these areas,” Kaull said. “We have shared our concerns about the funding needed to operate this center and how its ability to offer degrees and award tenure would conform to our accreditation standards and policies.”

While McGeehan said that funding could be allocated later, Williams worried about who might want to fund the school if the state doesn’t. “Who will want to pay to have a say in how we educate the next generation?” he asked. 

The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The legislation was modeled after legislation in several other states, according to McGeehan.

“It’s designed to attract very talented professors with a very narrow focus, mainly in the humanities,” he said. “Then, to attract STEM students into taking some kind of minor or at least have a background in some of these subject areas that they otherwise wouldn’t take.”

McGeehan was recently involved in a controversial move by the West Virginia Water Development Authority to give $5 million to an Ohio-based Catholic-affiliated career and vocational college to create a right-wing think tank. The Parkersburg News and Sentinel reported that McGeehan helped the College of St. Joseph the Worker with their application for WDA funds. 

The WDA made the decision without a required recommendation from one of three state officials.