Only one student enrolls at WVU's Washington Center after GOP lawmakers mandated $3M program

West Virginia University's new Washington Center for Civics, Culture and Statesmanship — a program mandated and funded by Republican state lawmakers with $3 million in state dollars — has enrolled only one student as it prepares to open this fall. The low enrollment raises questions about the program's viability and whether public funds are being used effectively. Political science professor Erik Herron and others express concern about the return on investment, while lawmakers defend the initiative as a necessary investment in civic education and conservative values.