Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Facing a projected future budget deficit, Wright State University trustees are trying to come to grips with a radically different higher education landscape, one in which a national economic collapse has thrown into question future enrollment numbers.
Everything needs to be considered in crafting future budgets, Greg Sample, Wright State’s chief operating officer, told trustees Thursday.
“We’re no longer asking for the leanest budget for each division,” he said. “We’re asking for a budget of life support.”
Wright State is not alone in these challenges. This week, the University of Dayton said it will furlough about 450 employees and lay off an additional 60 employees this summer.
Wright State trustee Marty Grunder said he expects the board of trustees to discuss the situation further Friday.
“It’s not pleasant,” he said. “But there’s no sense in kicking the can down the road.”
Sample also insisted that it is possible for Wright State to build a “business model” around a smaller student body, if it comes to that.
“That’s a challenge,” Sample added after questioning from university trustee Bruce Langos. “It’s not something to be scared of.”
Trustees heard a range of annual budget deficit projections Thursday, from $11 million to nearly $50 million, with the latter projection tied to enrollment falling to 10,000 students — or lower. Wright State has more than 11,000 students today.
