In a proactive move intended to ensure Washington State University continues to fulfill its historic mission during financially uncertain times, several steps are being taken to preserve vital resources.
The following measures, being overseen by university leaders, are slated to go into effect April 1:
- A strategic pause on non-essential faculty and staff hiring
- A strategic pause on out-of-cycle salary increases for faculty and staff
- A freeze on non-essential travel and training
- More robust reviews of essential purchases and contracts
- Renegotiating or ending non-essential contracts
- Reducing food purchases and other discretionary spending
“We know that these tactics are not necessarily a long-term solution. What we had in the past is not necessarily our future,” a letter from WSU leadership distributed Wednesday to all faculty and staff explains. “The landscape of higher education is evolving, and to thrive, we are going to have to shape our future together.”
The letter was signed by Incoming President Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer Leslie Brunelli, Daryll DeWald, executive vice president for health sciences and chancellor of WSU Spokane, and T. Chris Riley-Tillman, provost and executive vice president. The entire letter is available to read online.
Public research universities, including WSU, face tremendous uncertainty amid shifting priorities at the state and federal level. More information on these challenges, as well as details on WSU’s response, is available on the WSU Insider website.
In response to challenges at the state and federal levels, WSU mobilized representatives from across the system to meet with lawmakers and stakeholders. In doing so, the university is championing its important research and outreach endeavors, which impact communities across the globe. Closer to home, units across the WSU system are preparing budget plans with reductions ranging from 1% to 10% to ensure the university remains fiscally stable amid the uncertainty.
“Let us reiterate that we are committed to WSU remaining a strong RI institution with a complement of undergraduate and graduate degree programs that serve our historic land-grant mission,” the letter to faculty and staff reads.
The letter continues, “We have asked the leadership team to remain focused on preserving our strengths and are confident that the strategic reductions and continued planning activities will allow WSU to weather the current financial storms.”
Human Resource Services and Finance and Administration have developed detailed FAQ’s providing additional information on the strategic pauses.
This article is part of a series focused on the extraordinary challenges facing the university system. WSU Insider, in the weeks and months to come, will continue to examine the headwinds and how the university is preparing.
