Pros
Vol State has a convenient location. Vol State employs many people who genuinely care about students. Vol State generously employs people would could probably not work anywhere else. Vol State affords a nice work-life balance for some jobs, but not for others.
Cons
The VPAA micromanages Deans, and so many Deans have now left. For example the VPAA overrides Deans on faculty evaluations. The evaluation you get isn't from your Dean anymore. It's from the VPAA. The VPAA overrides Promotion and Tenure Committees and Deans on promotion and tenure. As others have noted, this college is a degree mill especially for degrees outside of a licensed medical area of study. Those areas have state boards, exams, and strict controls in place to prevent the abuse Vol State does for most other subject matter areas. Students graduate who read and write on a 9th grade level. As long as you pass students, you can stay here. It doesn't matter if they can read, write, or even turn in work. Just pass them. "Quiet quitting" was popular here long before it became a national topic. Talented people leave in this atmosphere. Those who can't leave quietly quit. Nothing this institution does is sustainable. The not-for-credit part of the college competes with the credit side of the college. If the state cut the Promise and Reconnect funding that makes college free for two years, enrollment would drop by 90% or more. No one is going to pay out of pocket for what happens here. Then, there's the federal financial aid scams where students attend just enough classes to avoid being dropped. Then, they pocket the money. Many people exist at this institution to create data so that it appears students learn something. A lot of data is needed for compliance measures. A lot of data is highly suspicious. The college has a record number of employees with six figure salaries but cannot staff parts of the college during registration. Many people at this institution send emails and hold meetings everyday in an endless effort to justify their existence.
