Everybody always blames administration. Just a blanket catch all for jobs you don’t understand. Just like anything else, chances are those jobs you list are based on some level of need. Somebody has to keep things running smoothly.
Cutting jobs just because reasons is the kind of dumb shlt DOGE tried and you see how that worked out. Not you or anyone else on this board is qualified to know if the administrations at these colleges are correctly staffed or not.
The only reason consolidation is a good thing is the combining of resources, not cutting them.
I am not saying we eliminate all administrative jobs. Obviously you still need HR, facilities, payroll, admissions, IT, finance, and academic leadership.
My point is that a lot of those functions can be consolidated. MUW could become part of Mississippi State. ICC and Northeast could operate under one system. You still keep people doing the work, but you eliminate unnecessary duplication and give those departments access to deeper resources.
And I actually can speak to this from experience. I work with universities and community colleges across Mississippi and was on three different campuses this week alone, including MVSU.
Valley has some incredible students, but it is competing for limited resources with Alcorn, Jackson State, Delta State, MDCC, Coahoma, and others. We absolutely need a strong institution serving the Delta. I just question whether we need multiple independent systems fighting over the same limited dollars.
I could actually see MVSU becoming the lead institution of a larger Delta system, potentially absorbing Delta State, MDCC, and Coahoma while preserving MVSU’s HBCU identity and mission. Instead of weakening Valley, consolidation could make it stronger. I have seen this plan actually discussed with major players.
I have also worked directly with college facilities departments for years. I have watched schools spend money replacing HVAC equipment that could have lasted much longer with proper staffing and preventive maintenance. At MUW, we were once part of a discussion about our company supplementing facilities support because they were losing technicians to Mississippi State. That is exactly the kind of situation where being part of a larger system could help.
I recently sat in a meeting with a community college that has a workforce program with a waiting list but cannot get the funding it needs, while another community college less than 30 miles away is effectively holding up those resources. Under one system, those dollars and programs could be deployed where the demand actually exists.
And for the record, I thought DOGE-style blanket job cutting was a bad approach too. Cutting positions simply to say you cut costs is not reform. Combining departments, sharing resources, improving maintenance, eliminating duplication, and directing money toward programs students actually need is reform.
So yes, I think consolidation deserves a serious discussion. Sorry for long post, but I know a lot about this and care.
