Dayton Daily News: With enrollment down, Wright State freezes spending, cuts administrators’ pay

Excerpt

With universities statewide closed to on-campus instruction, Wright State University is cutting administrators’ salaries, freezing contracts and capital projects — and leaders may consider a workforce reduction, university leaders said in a campus email Monday.

With enrollment down due to the global pandemic, state government has recently informed university leaders to prepare for a “significant reduction in what is remaining of this year’s state share of instruction,” the university said in the email.

Refunds or credits due to students exceed $3 million and summer enrollment has been hit, resulting in a “decrease of 17 percent” for summer enrollment, the university said.

As a result, Wright State President Sue Edwards, with the university provost, vice presidents, vice provosts and deans have “voluntarily agreed to take a 20 percent reduction in salary (or stipend for Deans),” Wright State said.

In addition, a hold has been placed on “all non-critical university-funded capital projects,” new contractual agreements for goods and services have been frozen, and “all discretionary non-compensation spending” has been eliminated, the email said.

Campus facilities will be left in “a low energy usage mode” where possible, the university also said.

Wright State added that workforce cuts may be considered at some point in the future.

“To date, Wright State has been committed to maintaining all personnel and positions. The state of Ohio has indicated they will release a plan addressing the return to work for Ohio businesses this week. We will review the plan and its impact on university operations in order to determine future staffing plans, which may include reductions in force.”

A university spokesman Monday said Wright State leaders would not comment beyond the campus email for the moment.

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