In an email sent Wednesday and obtained by the Springfield News-Sun, Frandsen said a small working group of administrators and elected faculty leaders from the school’s governance committees are “exploring paths forward that will lead to a sustainable and thriving Wittenberg.”
Frandsen acknowledged this is “a challenging time for every member of the Wittenberg community.” He said the collaborative working group will submit a proposal to him for the university’s Board of Trustees to consider at its Aug. 15 meeting.
“We know the future will likely rely on one or more outside partners to provide some student instruction. As with our current programs in supply chain management, public health, and neuroscience, we anticipate that we will continue to use partners to broaden academic choices for students and provide specialized courses that we do not offer,” Frandsen wrote. “We will also look at new courses and programs that will allow us to expand our breadth and depth of course offerings.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Wittenberg recorded a $17 million deficit in the 2022-2023 school year, according to its tax records. Wittenberg spent about $96 million that year, and about $26 million was spent on salaries and benefits for staff. The 2023-2024 tax record is not yet publicly available.
Last week, Wittenberg confirmed it is planning about $7 million in budget cuts, mostly to staff.
A preliminary plan presented to faculty and staff this summer would reduce faculty by 60% for the 2025-26 school year, reduce staff during the upcoming school year by a quarter to a third, and possibly replace the services of many faculty members with online learning platform classes.
Frandsen said the working group consists of himself, Provost Brian Yontz, Vice President for Finance and Administration Maura Donahue, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Institutional Research Jeff Ankrom, plus several faculty — Educational Policies Committee chair Marie Bashaw, Faculty Executive Board chair Scott Rosenburg, past FEB chair Cathy Pederson, past Budget & Compensation Advisory Board chair Adam Parker, and current BCAB member Tom Taylor.
Frandsen said they would “carefully consider the input and views provided by departments, programs, committees, and the Board.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
“This group is committed to preserving the core mentoring and advising relationship between faculty and our students,” Frandsen said. “We expect that several majors will be available entirely in-person, with students able to access hybrid delivery only if they choose.”
Frandsen said a proposed course catalog would likely include a mix of in-person and virtual courses “to maximize student choice and expand our educational reach,” while protecting the value of in-person classes.
Wittenberg is not alone in its financial troubles, as numerous colleges are struggling financially. Lower birth rates, smaller high school graduating classes, more teens choosing career tech education over four-year colleges, and fierce competition among colleges over the remaining students are some of the factors.
The University of Dayton is in the process of reducing its student headcount by about 10% to 15% and cutting its workforce by a similar amount. In the past few years in Ohio, Urbana University and Notre Dame College in Cleveland are among those that have closed entirely.