With no CARES Act funding or other federal relief in sight, the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have finally caught up to Western Washington University. President Sabah Randhawa announced Thursday a 3% budget reduction across the university for the 2023-2024 school year to soften the impact of the expected $10 million budget deficit
“Our intent is to limit the reduction in base budgets to 3%, while simultaneously putting in place temporary savings measures,” Randhawa wrote in a March 9 letter to employees. “As we did during the pandemic, we will continue our commitment to the retention of our valued faculty and staff by funding compensation increases as provided by the state budget and honoring our collective bargaining agreements.”
The university operates on a budget of about $200 million, with half coming from the state and the other from tuition revenue.
The main reason for the deficit is a continued drop in enrollment since it peaked in fall 2019. Throughout the pandemic, enrollments from recent high school graduates and transfers dropped alongside retention rates, or enrolled students who graduate.
Western has acknowledged its need to reduce expenses while managing the drop in tuition revenue, as a result.
“Working through the projected budget shortfall requires two complementary strategies: shorter-term actions to decrease base expenditures, and a longer-term set of strategies to increase enrollments and create new revenue streams,” Randhawa wrote.
The university discussed its plan to reduce immediate expenditures like travel, purchasing and hiring. The letter said Provost Brad Johnson is working with academic programs to review the funding of “non-academic functions, programs and services.”
In the meantime, the university will aim to return to pre-pandemic enrollment rates by increasing new students and improving retention.
The university will host open campus sessions to discuss the budget on March 30 and 31.
