Global Campus response

Fall 2017

Colleagues,

As you are probably aware, WSU is facing some budgetary challenges. Although these challenges are serious, they are by no means insurmountable. To address WSU’s financial challenges all units have been asked to reduce their spending by 2.5% and hold all carryforward balances static. Please understand that this is not a cut, but rather a spending reduction. AOI will retain the 2.5% reduction — we just can’t spend it.

I know that any time the university community begins to discuss budget reductions, it creates anxiety about individuals and positions. That is understandable. That said, please know that AOI is in good shape and although I cannot make guarantees, I believe we will weather this reduction without losing staff.

To accomplish our target and to position us for any future reduction, as a general rule we will hold open vacant positions, decrease spending on new purchases, and defer maintenance on existing operations. We will also scrutinize individual spending, timeslip, overtime, and travel. In short, we will tighten our belts and spend less.

All this said, we are in a unique position to assist the University. There are two ways to address financial challenges. The first is to do as I have outlined above—spend less. The second is to bring in more revenue. We have undertaken this work and I am confident that we will help the University realize new revenue streams in the months and years to come.

I am confident that WSU is in a good place. It will be uncomfortable for a while, as we all will be asked to do more with less, but I do believe our future is bright. University leadership has outlined a sound plan to get us to that bright future. I would ask one thing of you. Just focus on doing your job. Avoid the distractions that come with speculative conversations about budget. As I am confident that if we all continue to do our good work, the challenges referenced above will dissipate. Thank you all for all you do. You make AOI a wonderful place to work. If you have questions or need clarification on any of the above information, please do not hesitate to connect with me directly.

Dave Cillay