Wright State Board Chair Michael C. Bridges interviewed on Facebook Live about state of university

Michael C. Bridges, chair of the Wright State University Board of Trustees, used social media to field questions from Student Government President-elect David Baugham in an effort to be fully transparent about the state of the university.

Bridges sat for a live Facebook interview March 30 with Baugham in Dunbar Library to give students and the campus community an unfiltered message about changes he sees coming to the university.

Bridges, who is a 1981 graduate of Wright State, fielded questions about budget remediation, an audit report, possible layoffs and the presidential transition period.

“There were a lot of changes that probably should have happened over the past two years,” said Bridges. “Because they didn’t happen, they are going to have to happen to a greater degree here now. The goal of any of these changes is that we protect our primary mission, which is an accessible and affordable education. I believe that we owe that to our students and we owe that to our community.”

He said the university’s budget deficit occurred because of overspending and a recent decline in enrollment. As for possible future layoffs, he said the board will have to wait and see the recommendations from interim President Curtis McCray.

He said the board intends to vote April 7 on whether to publicly release the Plante-Moran audit, which was requested by the university to examine past practices of the university.

“Almost everything that’s in there has been fixed,” said Bridges.

The vote will take place during the board’s Committee Day meeting, beginning at 8 a.m. in the Student Union Apollo Room on April 7.

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