MONTGOMERY — Despite having the highest faculty-to-student ratio among the state’s public institutions, WVU Tech hired 11 new full-time faculty for the current academic year.

But the school says the move does not indicate a significant expansion of faculty, since most of the new hires will fill “critical” vacant positions. Three positions in forensics, civil engineering and business management are new.

A member of the school’s Revitalization Committee previously called the school’s 11 to 1 student/faculty ratio “economically unsustainable.”

The school is undergoing a legislatively mandated “revitalization” process to deal with its low enrollment, aging facilities and financial challenges. Committee members have repeatedly stated that something must be done about the high ratio, whether it’s building enrollment or eliminating programs.

“At an 11 to 1 ratio, we can’t afford to run this institution,” the committee’s chair, David Hendrickson, said at the group’s first meeting in March.

Eight of the new faculty were hired as replacements for retirees and those who have left the school for other positions. WVU Tech spokesperson Adrienne King says the school chose not to fill some vacant positions because of its current situation.

The 11 new hires included four in the school of Business, Humanities and Social Sciences for the following programs: English, Physical Education, Forensics and Business Management. The latter two are new positions.

Business Management is one of the school’s most popular programs, and the search for a new faculty member took place last year, before the school launched its revitalization program.

The forensics program is new. Tech took it over from ailing Mountain State University this fall, also absorbing the school’s aviation management and computer science programs.

The school brought on seven new engineering faculty, including one to fill a new civil engineering position. The search for this position took place in the spring of this year.

“All were strategic decisions based on what is most critical to the mission of the university,” says King. “In some of our engineering departments, especially, it’s part of our accreditation that we have to be able to offer certain classes. So for that purpose we have filled certain positions.

“All and all we have ended up with some fantastic faculty. We’re pleased with the quality of credentials we were able to bring to campus,” she says.

Salaries for the new faculty were included in the school’s current comprehensive budget, generated after all deans and directors sat down with the campus financial and executive officers to defend their individual budgets.

At its most recent meeting Thursday, the Revitalization Committee launched a new Efficiencies Subcommittee, which will look for ways to get more bang for the school’s buck. They will consider areas like energy efficiency, faculty and staff hirings, and collaborations with other entities like Bridgemont Community and Technical College and the City of Montgomery.

The Revitalization Committee’s subcommittee on academics has recommended that five of the school’s academic programs be reviewed.

Four programs — accounting, business management, industrial relations and human resources, and history — were already scheduled for reviews, which take place routinely every five years.

The other, public service administration, was added because of its low enrollment. The program had eight students enrolled in the most recent school year.

One of the four programs up for routine review, industrial relations and human resources, had only three students in 2010/2011 and is among the least popular programs at the school.

After review paperwork is submitted to West Virginia University, their board of governors will ultimately make the call as to whether to keep or discontinue the programs.

The school expects to launch its new secondary math and science education degree by fall of next year, provided it can maneuver through the state school system’s approval process in time.

Other recent changes include the installation of Wi-Fi in residence halls, the razing of a co-ed dorm, renovations to the Old Main building, and the expected launch of a new Student Success Center early next year.

— E-mail: cmoore@register-herald.com