West Virginia Senate Committee Completes Community College Bill.

Byline: Phil Kabler

Mar. 5--Senate Finance Committee members completed work Thursday on a bill to give the state's community college governing board more autonomy. They made extensive changes intended to assuage administrators of four-year colleges, who feared the original bill could damage or destroy their institutions.

As amended by the Senate, the bill (HB4084) would also extend university status to four colleges -- West Virginia State, Fairmont State, Concord and Shepherd -- on the day the bill becomes law.

Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, said he hoped the House would take notice of the Senate votes on provisions to extend university status to the …