DAYTON — Wright State University has announced 113 faculty positions will be eliminated over the next 18 months.
The university said the cuts are directly caused by the reduction in attendance over the last five years, according to a press release.
Just last fall, enrollment was down 30% at 12,000 students actively taking courses at Wright State. Decreased enrollment continued during the spring semester.
“Certainly, this is a difficult decision for the university, and I assure everyone it is a decision we have not made lightly,” Wright State University President Sue Edwards said. “We have for quite some time focused on alternatives to these changes, including two separate rounds of retirement incentives, a reduced reliance on adjunct faculty and an effort to reduce by attrition. Unfortunately, those efforts have not sufficiently reduced the size of our excess faculty workforce. The continuing enrollment declines require us to act further.”
Faculty members affected by retrenchment will receive up to 18 months of notice during which they will continue to work and receive regular pay and benefits.
The university intends to offer a significant workforce displacement support package.
Tom Gunlock, chair of the Wright State Board of Trustees, offered his comments in a prepared statement.
“Wright State is moving forward. It is, and will always be, an institution with student success at its heart,” Gunlock said. “The people of Ohio created this university to ensure that students in our region have access to a high-quality, affordable education that propels them ahead in life. Wright State is here. Wright State will be here. And Wright State will continue to succeed in accomplishing that mission.”
Some students on campus offered their opinion on the news, mostly disagreeing with the decision.
Johnny Holloway, who is majoring in public health, said the news is disheartening, and his heart goes out to those losing their jobs.
“The long-term effect, it won’t really affect us students that’s already juniors and seniors, but when you think about the class of 2023, 2024, that’s who it’s really gonna impact,” Holloway said.
He said he can see the cuts having a direct impact on the effectiveness of education.
“Pre-COVID, we had smaller classes, we were really able to get to know the professors,” he said. “It’s really gonna be a tough thing to battle in the next couple years.”
Mark Howard, a senior musical theatre major, said he doesn’t understand the decision due to the impact it will have.
“I think it’s a little messed up that they would cut 113 faculty members during a pandemic when people are already struggling finding money and jobs and students are struggling with their education and their lack of teachers availability in general,” Howard said.
Edwards said if enrollment jumps back up things could change.
“If enrollment circumstances improve significantly, the CBA provides a mechanism for Wright State to reduce the number on the retrenchment list and potentially even call back retrenched faculty,” she said. “That affords the opportunity to decrease the number of positions appropriately as we gain additional enrollment.”
Wright State said this move allows them to continue to provide affordable education to the Dayton region as they are among the most affordable four-year colleges and universities in the state.
