information they needed. 24 When the website directory launched later that Fall, it displayed multiple, redundant profiles for some individuals, prompting concerns that viewers would be confused and potentially miss important information. 25 During Summer 2024, almost a year after the website rollout, multiple administrative applicants for the Provost position mentioned that they were unable to locate basic organizational information about CWU while researching the institution. An acknowledgement that the website was launched prematurely was never provided, despite faculty requests. 26 The website incident illustrates how the President’s lack of meaningful engagement with shared governance partners created problems that consumed considerable time and resources. 27 The FSEC offers this example to highlight the importance of aligning implementation timelines with consultation and feedback, particularly for changes that affect both internal university operations and external audiences.
FSEC Clarification on justification point IV (page 6 of document)
• Petition Language: President Wohlpart’s communication is ineffective and lacks transparency.
FSEC Clarification: Faculty have raised concerns regarding communication practices related to shared governance, particularly following the January 14, 2026 Faculty Senate meeting. These concerns focus on clarity, consistency, and shared understanding in how information related to governance processes has been conveyed. Since the January 14 Senate meeting, the President has communicated with the faculty at large and the Executive Committee and Senate Chairs regarding discussions that occurred during Summer 2025. In both his public email to the faculty body on January 20 28 and in multiple emails to Faculty Senate leadership since, the President has asserted that during Summer 2025 the Senate Chairs agreed to a Faculty Code rewrite outside of the established Senate process. These assertions are inconsistent with the experiences of the Senate Chairs and their notes from the summer conversations. They are also inconsistent with Chair
24 See October 4, 2023 Faculty Senate meeting minutes (presentation by Web Services) and November 1, 2023 Faculty Senate meeting minutes (faculty issues). 25 See November 29, 2023 Faculty Senate meeting minutes 26 See the November 6, 2024 Faculty Senate meeting minutes (faculty issues). 27 The exact financial cost of implementing the new website was never shared. The time cost of not having a functioning university directory during the beginning of Fall 2023 is considerable. Per IERP dashboards, in Fall 2023, CWU had 631 instructional staff, 981 exempt or classified staff, and 7,967 enrolled undergraduate students. Assuming that many of these individuals attempted to obtain information via the directory and instead had to locate the information via other methods, a conservative estimate for the cumulative lost time of not having a directory would be in the tens of thousands of hours. The cumulative impact on external users cannot be estimated, although IERP enrollment headcount data suggests the new, outward focus of the website had no impact on increasing the number of degree-seeking students. 28 See Email from President on January 20, 2026
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