WHEELING — The board of trustees at Wheeling University announced in a Tuesday evening email that it has suspended university President Ginny Favede with pay effective immediately and relieved her of all duties.

No reason was given for the suspension in the release.

Dianna Vargo — the former superintendent of Ohio County Schools who has been serving as the university’s director of graduate education and accelerated certification for teaching programs — will serve as the university’s interim chief operations officer and will work directly with the Board of Trustees to develop a plan moving forward, according to the release.

“The Board of Trustees is working to ensure that all functions of the University continue without disruption,” the release stated.

A spokesperson contacted Tuesday evening said the university had no further comment outside the release and did not know when or if any further information would be released.

Favede, a former Belmont County Commissioner and St. Clairsville City Council member, was named the 13th president of Wheeling University in 2019. Archbishop William E. Lori appointed her to chair the university’s Board of Trustees that year and she was named WU president in October 2019 amid the university’s financial difficulties.

She was officially installed as president in late 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Favede’s tenure at Wheeling has been pockmarked with difficulties. In February 2021, the Higher Learning Commission put the university on probation after it determined WU “does not have sufficient fiscal resources to support its operation,” and relied too heavily on subsidies it receives from the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

In February 2023, the HLC lifted the probation, but continued to monitor the university for financial, staffing and enrollment concerns. In the letter sent to WU at that time lifting the probation, the HLC said that “(w)hile the Institution has demonstrated progress in growing enrollment, current enrollment continues to be insufficient to meet the institution’s fiscal needs.

“The Institution has demonstrated a pattern of using unrealistic projections of enrollment growth in its enrollment and fiscal planning. However, the Institution has recently sought to address this by retaining a consulting firm to assist the institution on enrollment management.”

Favede previously served as the executive director of the Ohio Valley Construction Employers Council and as co-chair of Project BEST.