Budget Town Hall Q&As

1. If a department underspends its budget, especially when asked to do so, what safeguards are in place to prevent future budget cuts based on the perception that the funds weren’t needed? In other words, how are budgets protected from being reduced year over year due to underutilization?

Our current budgeting model is incremental and does not involve reducing expense budgets based on actual spending. Going forward (beginning FY27), we will be introducing a new budget process, where S&S budgets are set based on needed expenditures (via Budget Commitments & Obligations worksheet) plus approved budget requests (that will be evaluated using the Budget Prioritization Rubric).

2. Are there any plans for unclassified pay increases in the coming fiscal year?

A 3% COLA reserve was incorporated into the FY26 Proposed Preliminary Budget; this is not to say a 3% COLA is guaranteed, no decision has been made as of yet.

3. In response to the answer given about WOU’s website, it seems that content and ensuring functionality, with the web design & navigation staying as it is, is the focus of the current developer. Has a design/navigation overhaul been considered? I have heard numerous people, numerous times, critique our WOU website harshly. It is not in keeping with best practices or design trends, and the value of this seems greatly underestimated.

A website front-end developer has been hired, and MarCom is in the process of compiling a plan for the website redesign, which will address navigation, usability, accessibility, branding, and design, and ensure it follows the latest website best practices. Thank you for your patience as this process is underway. More updates will follow.

4. Rice Auditorium is highly underutilized as a rental space. This is due, in large part, to the fact that Rice does not have a large enough scene shop to build sets for the plays, so they must be built on the stage. This makes Rice’s availability extremely limited. We also have the opportunity to host events in Smith Recital Hall if that were renovated; however, in its current state, it is pretty much unusable.  If we were to push for the renovations to these spaces (create the smaller black box theatre for the Theatre department and total renovation of Smith), this would free up Rice and make Smith rentable to generate substantial revenues through rentals, yet we are constantly being pushed down the list for this funding. We understand the upfront cost is substantial, however, the revenue that would be brought in by these two performance spaces for rentals would cover those costs quickly and begin bringing in revenue. Is there anything we can do to prioritize this long-awaited funding by the state?

The Performing Arts Renewal capital project proposal, which includes the Rice Auditorium, is still active, ranking 8 on the HECC Prioritized Public University Projects list. Decisions about capital appropriation are made by the Governor and state legislators, and beyond WOU’s control, even though WOU has put in a lot of lobbying efforts.

5. Is it possible to look at cutting programs at this university so that we are offering fewer, stronger programs rather than cutting from our current programs and making them less effective? It seems that if we are constantly cutting resources to programs, we are actually doing the university a disservice by putting out subpar programs rather than making hard decisions to cut entire programs to save some of the stronger ones we have

There is ongoing work by a Provost Advisory Group and the Academic Sustainability Committee, which is charged to review academic programs and make recommendations to the Provost.

6. Because of union representation, the Classified staff and the Faculty are taken care of each year with annual raises and COLA (Cost of Living Adjustments). What about the Unclassified Staff Members? Will there be any salary increases or COLA this year for them?  They are often left behind while the other 2  groups of employees are automatically taken care of.

While faculty are paid on a 9-month basis, we understand that this does not diminish the real impact of inflation, rising living costs, or the longstanding frustrations related to salary growth. The broader context includes significant financial pressures in Oregon’s public higher education system, including reduced state funding and enrollment declines, that have limited our ability to implement consistent salary increases across employee groups. Over the past three years, unclassified employees, of which there are more than 100, have received general wage increases of 4.5%, 4%, and 3.25%, totaling 11.75%. In addition, targeted adjustments have been made based on internal salary studies and external CUPA benchmarking data to address equity and market alignment.

We have also fulfilled all contractually obligated salary increases under our collective bargaining agreements. SEIU-represented classified employees have received step increases, cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), and select reclassifications in accordance with the SEIU CBA. Similarly, WOUFT-represented faculty have received salary increases aligned with the terms of their agreement, including across-the-board increases, step advancements, and adjustments driven by rank and experience. These increases reflect our commitment to fair compensation across all employee groups while navigating significant budget constraints.

That said, concerns about compensation equity are valid. This is precisely why WOU continues to invest in salary transparency efforts, compression and equity analyses, and long-term planning to ensure compensation structures that recognize the contributions of faculty and staff. We are committed to finding sustainable ways to address these concerns, even as we navigate structural budget challenges.

Moving forward, creating a more just and equitable budget system will continue to require collaboration with faculty governance, bargaining units, and leadership. We deeply value the expertise and dedication of our faculty and are committed to engaging in these conversations with transparency, mutual respect, and shared purpose.

7. The Salem campus must be worth $2 million. It only houses graduate programs. Do those few graduate programs remotely amount to $2 million in forecasted income?  If not, it’s a losing investment and should be cut.

The sale of the Salem campus would be worth, however much (perhaps $2M), that would be a one-time influx of funds. Graduate tuition (in total, we do not budget for WOU v. WOU:Salem) is projected to be $5M in FY25 (just for FY25, but graduate tuition is recurring year over year).

8. Why have offices, staff, and administration not seen similar reductions as have faculty?

We recognize the concern regarding perceived imbalances in staffing changes across employee groups. However, it is important to note that between March 2024 and March 2025, the number of classified staff increased from 158 to 172. This growth is largely due to institutional priorities related to student support, compliance, safety, and operational continuity. Many of these positions were either restored following pandemic-related reductions or reallocated to address evolving needs in areas such as student services, IT, facilities, and administrative functions.

Staffing levels across faculty, classified staff, and administrative units are assessed through different lenses, each informed by function, funding sources, and operational requirements. Faculty positions are closely tied to enrollment and academic program offerings, while classified and administrative roles often provide the infrastructure and services essential to supporting students and ensuring regulatory and operational obligations are met.

That said, we acknowledge the broader concern about equity in resource distribution. We continue to evaluate organizational structures across all units with a focus on efficiency, sustainability, and alignment with our academic mission. This includes exploring opportunities for cross-functional support, thoughtful reorganization, and cost-effective service delivery, while maintaining our commitment to high-quality education and student support.