One student enrolled at the WVU Washington Center after GOP lawmakers ordered the program’s creation

Only one student registered for classes at West Virginia University’s modern Washington Center, an academic program imposed by Republican lawmakers on the campus.

State lawmakers allocated $3 million in state dollars for the Washington Center for Civics, Culture and Statesmanship over the past two years before its official opening this fall.

“I think it’s important for the Legislature and the governor to consider this… the question is whether this is the best use of public funds,” said Erik Herron, a political science professor at WVU. “I think the Washington Center, ironically, seems to be exactly what higher education is complaining about becoming. It was founded in Charleston and it was imposed on the university, so it’s a big government mandate.”

House Speaker Roger Hanshaw co-sponsored the initiative 2025 legislation creation of the Washington Center at WVU.

He said the low enrollment was expected because the university had not yet approved courses at the Washington Center that would count toward credit for already existing academic majors at WVU.

“I’m not necessarily surprised that enrollment hasn’t started to increase… it’s not part of what a student does or learns, and then students have to take courses that meet approved parameters,” said Hahshaw, R-Clay.

He continued: “There is a process by which these courses are approved and incorporated into the academic structure to officially become part of the field of study… I think what we are dealing with here is an administrative process where the program is simply not ready yet.”

Del. John Williams, R-Monongalia, opposed lawmakers ordering the creation of the Washington Center at his alma mater, WVU.

“I’m not happy about this,” he said. “Now we find ourselves in a situation where we have put so much money into this program and only one person benefits from it.”

Morrisey named director of Washington Center

Legislators tasked Governor Patrick Morrisey with appointing the director in consultation with the WVU Senate and Board of Governors. Morrisey, who has publicly supported the center, appointed Dr. Patrick Lee Miller to the position in October 2025. State funds go towards Miller’s annual salary over $300,000.

“Dr. Miller and the Washington Center intend to push back against the woke ideology that has infected our schools and help restore the true purpose of higher education,” Morrisey said during a news conference last year.

House Bill 3297 ordered WVU to operate a Washington Center focused on teaching constitutional studies and “the great debates of Western civilization.”

Proposed university courses this fall it’s “Woke,” “Nation and Migration” and “The New Right.” The center hired lecturers even before its launch.

“As of June 22, one student was enrolled in three separate courses at the Washington Center,” said Shauna Johnson, WVU executive director of strategic communications. “Twenty-four courses were originally proposed/listed for the Fall 2026 semester. Eighteen are now available.”

The $3 million in state funding, including $1.5 million in the fiscal year 2027 budget, also includes a scholarship available to Washington Center students.

Miller did not respond to interview requests for this story.

His. Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, changed Act of 2025 requiring the Senate to advise and consent to the Governor’s appointment of the first director of the Washington Center. It also requires an annual report from the director to lawmakers.

“Ultimately, I was thrilled when the Legislature wanted to send my alma mater an additional $1.5 million,” Oliverio said. “I was excited about the opportunity for civics education, an area that I believe only strengthens our republic.”

Like Hanshaw, Oliverio believes enrollment will enhance when courses at the Washington Center can be counted toward academic credentials at the college or junior level.

“These classes are not required for any major, so students may be interested in the subject but may choose to take different classes than what is required in order to graduate on time, so that is a real limiting factor here,” he said. “A small level of statesmanship that can increase participation.”

Sen. Tom Takubo, R-Kanawha, voted against legislation.

“I felt like it was really more of a political statement,” Takubo said, noting that he was not opposed to the idea of ​​teaching students about U.S. history, civics and statesmanship. “In my opinion, it’s not the job of legislators to impose things like this and maybe put one university at risk because now they’re going to have to continue to fund it.”

The Washington Center mandate comes after widespread job cuts at WVU

Hanshaw said teaching students to think – especially in the age of internet-connected cell phones and artificial intelligence – is valuable. After meeting Miller and the faculty at the Washington Center, Hanshaw said he was encouraged by their approach to education.

“One of the real challenges we face at the level of government or society is raising leaders – raising men and women who will make decisions on behalf of the 1.8 million people of West Virginia,” said Hanshaw, a WVU graduate. “If we can provide students with a forum where they can spend a few years or a few courses thinking deeply about what it means to lead others in the traditions of Western society, I think that will serve us all well.”

Herron said WVU has already offered similar courses at the Washington Center.

“It is not in the interest of students or departments who are already working on these issues, so I have some concerns that there may be some overlap in terms of reference,” he said, adding that the center was able to operate outside normal university standards, such as maintaining its own website and posting job advertisements.

Herron said a specialized academic center encouraging civic education and student engagement could be beneficial to WVU.

“I would like our students to have opportunities to engage with politicians and people from the business community for a short period of time in public forums as local fellows, to have the internship opportunities that these types of programs provide,” he said. “I don’t know if this fits into the Washington Center plan, but there are centers on public and private campuses that do this type of thing and do it to great effect.”

Lawmakers’ decision to authorize the Washington Center was met with resounding response No $45 million budget at WVU. It worked liquidation of 28 academic fields AND hundreds of jobsincluding lecturers.

“My concerns were not that I was against the premise of something like this and what it was supposed to teach, but at a time when the university had to make significant cuts, it was like they were giving up foreign languages,” Takubo said.

Williams, a Morgantown resident, said the neighborhood is “still alive with memories of what happened a few years ago.”

“We still haven’t seen the full impact of what happened, so it’s frustrating that the state government, as long as I’ve been a member of the Legislature, has been so reluctant to make significant investments in higher education and then comes along with this pet project that we see only one person involved,” he said.

Republican lawmakers in Ohio AND Iowa have recently launched similar academic centers at their flagship universities, and admissions to both programs are low. University of Iowa students are required to take the course through the Center for Intellectual Freedom starting in 2028, consistent with state law, to combat hiring delays.

“I think the difficulties these centers are having in recruiting suggest that students are not demanding what they offer,” Herron said. “We will certainly see what happens in the fall, but based on experience from other universities and current recruitment, and given that most of the fall recruitment has already been completed, student interest appears to be low.”