Wheeling University president suspended with pay, no reason given

WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) — A private West Virginia university that has struggled financially said it has suspended its president with pay.

The Wheeling University Board of Trustees announced in an email Tuesday that President Ginny Favede was relieved of all duties, news outlets reported. The statement gave no reason for the suspension and a school spokesperson told The Intelligencer Wheeling News Register that further details about it would not immediately be released.

Favede became the school’s 13th president when she was named to the position in 2019 amid financial difficulties. In 2021, the school was put on probation after the Higher Learning Commission determined it “does not have sufficient fiscal resources to support is operation,” noting it relies heavily on subsidies from the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The probation was lifted last year, but the organization said it would continue to monitor the school due to concerns about finances, staffing and enrollment.

The university said graduate education director Dianna Vargo was named interim chief operations officer and will work with the Board of Trustees to develop a plan to move forward without disruption.