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Charting the Future
Master Plan for West Virginia Higher Education
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
2007-2012

I. INTRODUCTION

    West Virginia’s master plan for higher education from 2007 to 2012 sets a public agenda for how to best serve the needs of our citizens. It envisions a vital role for higher education in improving the economic opportunities and overall quality of life for our state. Higher education has long been the pathway to upward mobility in America, and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission takes responsibility for opening that pathway to all West Virginians. Accordingly, this plan addresses key issues in providing a quality post-secondary education for our population—issues such as access, student preparation, program offerings, cost, and learning accountability. In addressing these issues, West Virginia’s institutions of higher education strive to adapt to a new environment of limited state funding while embracing public accountability and access for lower-income students.

    Postsecondary education is critical not only to the economic futures of our individual citizens, but also to the health of the state’s economy as a whole. In order to foster economic development, maximize use of resources, and make our graduates competitive in a knowledge-intensive global economy, this plan focuses throughout on the importance of partnerships, entrepreneurship, and research. We look to capitalize on existing strengths and better position West Virginia as a globally competitive, economically prosperous, and dynamic state. This document reflects our belief that higher education plays an instrumental part in the cultural and economic health of our communities. The Master Plan’s major areas of 1) economic growth, 2) access, 3) cost and affordability, 4) learning and accountability, and 5) innovation respond to a set of implied questions that reflect our goals for serving West Virginia through higher education. We articulate those questions here:

1. Economic growth: How does the system of higher education in West Virginia contribute to the state’s economic vitality? Can we prepare more West Virginians for successful work and create more work opportunities for our citizens?
2. Access: How can we make post-secondary education accessible for all West Virginians? How can we give students the skills and information they need to succeed in college and other post-secondary education programs? How can we provide a range of educational opportunities for citizens located across the state and at various stages of their adult and working lives?
3. Cost and Affordability: In an era of tight budgets and skyrocketing costs, how can we ensure that higher education is affordable for West Virginians? 
4. Learning and Accountability: How can we ensure that West Virginians are getting a high quality education that will prepare them for successful working lives with the minimum cost? How can our higher education institutions maximize the benefit of limited resources?
5. Innovation: How can we devise innovative programs, partnerships, research initiatives, curricula, and pedagogy to best achieve goals related to access, quality, target fields, cost efficiency, and economic development? How can we put entrepreneurship, research, and partnerships at the service of our overarching goals?

CHARTING THE FUTURE - Message from the Chancellor 

CHARTING THE FUTURE - Executive Summary

CHARTING THE FUTURE - Full Publication  

Compact Reporting Elements, 2007-2012 

Institutional Compacts 2008