West Virginia State University officials announced a “transformational change” will require cuts to staffing and academic programs due to new demands in education brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter to faculty and staff, university officials said budget reductions and cuts are necessary. There will be cuts to personnel, phased elimination of underperforming academic programs, and non-essential goods and contracted services will be reduced. The letter did not reference any specific programming, positions or the number of employees that would be affected by the cuts.