“My plan is to be there every week as we get that transition going,” said provost Sue Edwards, the university’s top academic adminsitrator.
» RELATED: Fear, frustration build on WSU Lake Campus over school’s budget trouble
Edwards was in Celina recently with interim dean Dan Krane to meet with members of the Lake Campus community. Edwards said she wants to hear from people at the branch campus as the search for the new dean commences.
Former dean Jay Albayyari resigned at the end of June after being asked to do so by president Cheryl Schrader.
When asking for Albayyari’s resignation, Schrader cited “serious concerns” regarding the dean’s “interactions with Lake Campus personnel” and the “climate” created by Albayyari’s “management style,” according to a letter obtained by this news organization through a public records request. Albayyari has said Schrader’s accusations were false.
But, Edwards said that Albayyari had said he intended to leave the dean’s job on more than one occasion before he was formally asked to step down. Albayyari will return to a faculty position at the Lake Campus after taking paid time to prepare for his new role.
Edwards said she expected “mixed reactions” to the change in the dean’s position, but that the Lake Campus community was “overwhelming supportive” of the decision during her recent visit.
The Lake Campus has been a bright spot for Wright State as the university has weathered financial and legal storms in recent years.
The branch’s enrollment has increased every year since 2014 while the main campus’ headcount has steadily declined since 2015. Schrader has called the Lake Campus a “gem” for the university.
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Frustration has mounted on the Lake Campus in recent years as the university has dealt with the fallout of its financial crisis. Wright State slashed spending by around $53 million in fiscal year 2018 to correct years of overspending that drained the school’s reserve fund.
Jared Ebbing, Mercer County’s community economic development director, told the Dayton Daily News that community leaders in the Celina area are concerned about how the university’s financial trouble could impact the success of the Lake Campus.
“Everybody has the same concerns. What happens a year from now or two years from now?” Ebbing said.
Ebbing is one of several area leaders seeking to keep any revenue generated by the branch on its campus instead of it flowing into the university’s general fund. The Lake Campus is considered one of the university’s 10 colleges or schools and the revenue it generates goes into the university’s general fund, administrators have said.
Wright State’s administration, Edwards said, has not done “a very good job” of explaining how the Lake Campus’ budget works. She said the university would be more transparent about it moving forward.
“I want the campus to continue to succeed. I want the campus to continue to grow,” Edwards said. “I am behind them 110 percent. We are not going to change the trajectory of the Lake Campus.”
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