Western Washington University will eliminate about 55 positions over the next two academic years and employ other cost-saving measures to reduce its operating budget by $18 million, the university announced Monday, Oct. 14.
The university will permanently restructure its administration due to the impacts of a long-term structural budget deficit and lingering pandemic effects. While enrollment has mostly recovered since the pandemic, the university still sees impacts as smaller class sizes “work through the system,” according to a news release. Insufficient state funding has also contributed: Western currently has the lowest per-student funding of all public four-year institutions in the state.
Cost-of-living increases and the higher costs of goods and services have also contributed to the budget challenges.
Earlier this year, the university stated it was expecting recurring revenues to fall $20.5 million below recurring expenditures this year, prompting the university to undertake reductions, sell properties and pull $3.7 million from reserves to cover the difference.
Changes include the elimination of units and the relocation of departments into new divisions. This will impact Enrollment Management and Academic Advising, Western’s Information Technology (IT) departments, Outreach and Continuing Education, and more.
University Relations and Marketing was eliminated in September and functions were relocated to University Advancement, the release stated. University dispatch services will be outsourced to What-Comm 911 starting in January 2025.
WWU President Sabah Randhawa said in the release that the university aims to create a “simpler” administrative structure that “streamlines relationships, aligns shared priorities, and reduces costly redundancies.”
In order to meet the goal of $18 million in reductions, or 8%, personnel cuts will include the permanent elimination this month of 20 vacant positions and five currently filled positions. Thirty additional positions will be cut in the 2025-26 academic year budget plan. The university said it would “prioritize the elimination” of vacant positions. Details on the specific positions are being finalized and will be shared soon, Provost Brad Johnson said in an email.
The university will also aim to reduce “non-personnel” costs like contract management and reliance on external services. Johnson is working to “minimize parallel structures” in academic colleges and departments. This work will not “impact classes nor course availability needed for students to make timely progress towards their degrees,” Johnson said in an email, although it will result in the reduction of low enrollment courses offered at Western.
“The fundamental principle guiding our approach is that students experience no negative impacts to their academic journeys at Western,” Johnson said. “This will inform in a substantial way how and where certain positions and expenditures are reduced.”
Western is also turning to the state for help: In its operating budget request to the Legislature, Western is asking for $21.4 million to bring Western’s per-student funding up to par with Central Washington University, which has the second lowest per-student funding in the state.
These plans add to current measures: decreasing budgets across the board by 3%, travel restrictions, hiring restrictions and reducing the number of course selections for under-enrolled courses.
Randhawa said in the news release that the reorganization work “will not be easy, nor will it be completed overnight.”
“We are doing everything we can to minimize the impact of our reorganization and cost-cutting measures on personnel and plan to have finished most of the changes and reductions in the organization by the end of Spring 2025,” he said. “ … I am confident that we will come out of this process even more focused and committed to advancing the mission and impact of our university.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
