balanced budget. But the 1.5% across-the-board cut to the university’s base budget and a reduction of the fund split from 70% to 59% created a hole of $2.7M in the coming year. Without this reduction, CWU would have had a surplus in FY26—the first surplus since before the pandemic. We appreciate the hard work that the university community has done to get to this place, and we recognize that it has not come without sacrifice. We have over 130 fewer employees, along with fewer resources for travel, purchases, and professional development. The hard work of adjusting to this difficult budget reality continued this spring and summer, and as a result, CWU is now facing a significantly smaller deficit—the smallest of the public universities in the state. In the coming year, the President will need to continue to work with the university community on understanding and managing the budget. Third, the President has continued to focus on elevating the work of equity and belonging across the university. Last year, Interim Vice President for Equity and Belonging Charlita Shelton recommended that the responsibility for the work of ensuring all our community members, including our minoritized populations, feel supported and can thrive must be a shared responsibility across the university. This work is not only essential; it is foundational to our mission, and it must be championed by the President, university leadership, and each of us together. In the coming year, the President must continue to elevate and support the work of infusing equity and belonging across the university community. The Associate Vice Presidents in Academic Affairs and Student Engagement and Success will lead this work, and more information will be available soon about how you can join them in learning and reflecting as we seek to create an equitable, fair, and caring university where everyone feels included. We appreciate the President’s leadership in all three areas, as well as the way in which faculty, staff, students, and administrators have worked collaboratively to learn, grow, and overcome challenges. Our vision states that we are a “model learning community of access and opportunity.” We must focus on constantly learning—and then taking what we have learned to elevate shared governance through making changes to policies and practices; to continue to develop more sustainability in our financial systems; and to expand equity and belonging across the university community. If we can do that, we will be a stronger and healthier community. If the university community can demonstrate that we are constantly learning and growing, we will send a powerful message to students, their families, and the surrounding communities. That message will be that Central Washington University is the best place to learn, grow, and create your future.
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