Wichita State University leadership addressed several issues relating to campus in a virtual town hall with student government leaders on Thursday. The president, provost and vice president for Student Affairs said they are continuing to monitor changes on a state and federal level, as well figuring out how to address a looming budget shortfall and student concerns around parking, inclement weather and accessibility.

Students had the chance to submit questions, which were then asked by Student Body President Kylee Hower and Vice President Mathew Phan during the town hall.

Enrollment challenges

In response to a question about the biggest challenges facing universities and how WSU can address them, Provost Monica Lounsbery listed shifts in the demographics of college students and the drop in enrollment that is widely expected across universities. 

Lounsbery pointed to the fact that, worldwide, populations are growing older. The provost said she thinks the impact of this enrollment cliff, and more people weighing the value of higher education, will result in fewer students attending universities in general. 

“That means fewer students are coming through the pipeline,” Lounsbery said. “It also means because older adults have a tendency to retire, there’s going to be a demand for workforce and people are going to have pressures to join the workforce earlier. I think that’s an extraordinary challenge that there’s no way around.”

But, she said that WSU’s paid applied learning opportunities are unique and will help the university continue to attract students despite these changes. 

Budget shortfall

President Richard Muma recently sent out a message to staff and faculty, saying that the university is facing a shortfall for the next academic year and will be tightening budgets as well as likely raising tuition by almost 4%. 

“Every year, the university must present a balanced budget. We do not carry debt forward,” Muma said. “And so that’s what we’re trying to do.” 

Muma expanded on some of the causes of the shortfall, adding that this year, WSU received the last payment of federal aid to help transition back from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He also cited a decline in international enrollment, other demographic changes related to the enrollment cliff and a stagnant funding rate from the state. 

Addressing the tuition increase, Muma said, “We’re trying to minimize that as much as possible.”

Overall, Muma said that tightening budgets will allow the university to “discover some inefficiencies that we do have,” and Lounsbery added that offerring new programs may help increase recruitment to bring in more revenue. 

They also touched on the NCAA’s House settlement, one of the upcoming financial challenges Muma had addressed in his recent announcement. 

“We are very committed to having a high quality athletic program, so we’re not changing that,” Muma said. “And so we’re trying to figure out how best to position our athletic program going forward.” 

The court case requires universities to reimburse athletes from the last 10 years for use of their name, image and likeness, as well as pay athletes for that use going forward. 

Muma said being competitive in those payments, along with ongoing investments in new facilities, will help the university maintain the quality of its athletics.

State and federal challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives

Lounsbery said that changes happening at the state and federal levels around diversity, equity and inclusion in education are another challenge for WSU to navigate. She echoed earlier sentiments, saying that leadership is continuing to monitor those changes and assess how to respond. 

In another question regarding the “Dear Colleague” letter issued by the Department of Education, federal executive orders opposing DEI initiatives and changes in the Kansas Legislature, Muma addressed these concerns further. 

He said that a committee of university leaders meets weekly to discuss these issues and that they look to the university’s General Counsel to help them understand legal requirements. 

“Over the years, and especially since I have been here, we (WSU) have been providing resources for everyone, and I don’t think that’s been made clear to some people,” Muma said. “So we’re working to make sure people understand that we’re here to provide support, success — We want to make sure that all of our students that come here have the opportunity to graduate and it’s for everyone. We’re trying to make some intentional decisions to make sure that that’s clear.” 

WSU recently removed content related to DEI initiatives from some of its web pages, adding a disclaimer stating, “This content is being reviewed in light of recent changes to state and federal laws, orders, and guidance.”

“… What I want you to understand is that that support for our students hasn’t changed,” Muma said. 

In response to a question about how the university would continue its mission of “inclusive excellence,” Lounsbery said that WSU “isn’t wavering in its commitment to helping all of our students.”

“… One of the things that we’ve tried not to do is to rush in and to be overzealous in our attempt to understand what executive orders mean before it’s clear,” she said.

Changes to campus

Muma and Lounsbery discussed several changes happening on campus, and others that are upcoming. 

Muma said there are several ongoing construction projects related WSU’s master plan: a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives facility, the Hub for Advanced Manufacturing Research, an upgraded facility for WSU softball, renovations of University Stadium, formerly Cessna Stadium and newly opened pickleball courts. 

Muma also discussed the Wichita Biomedical Campus, a partnership between WSU, WSU Tech and the University of Kansas that is slated to open in 2027. 

In addition to new construction, Muma said the Brennan Hall buildings will be demolished within the next six months, followed by Neff Hall. He confirmed that the Holmes Museum of Anthropology, currently housed in Neff Hall, will be moved into Ablah Library while the rest of the anthropology department moves into the Geology Building. 

Muma said that these demolitions and movement of departments and services are important to “develop new spaces” for faculty staff and students and to manage deferred maintenance costs.

Inclement weather

WSU’s inclement weather policy has repeatedly sparked debate among faculty and staff over multiple years. 

Hower asked how the university is working to address concerns from students, faculty and staff surrounding the policy. 

Lounsbery said that while the university will consider whether people can safely get to campus when inclement weather occurs, “cold weather alone” is not likely to cause the university to move to remote operations. 

“We are an applied learning university,” Lounsbery said. “And that means that many of our students are in field experience, and their learning is really part of doing and you can’t really do those kinds of things remotely. And the gold standard of our campus really is in-person instruction and every day that we’re out, that is a day that we’re not delivering on that promise.

“Additionally, we’re a research campus, and there’s a lot of complex things going on on our campus. And whenever we do something that’s outside of normal operations, it throws a monkey wrench in things.”

Muma added on to the provost’s response, saying that he thinks “clear communication” is needed about how the university will proceed “much earlier” when inclement weather does occur.

Accessibility 

Phan asked how WSU is working to prioritize accessibility on campus. 

Vice President for Student Affairs Teri Hall said the university is getting new golf carts that will help with accessibility. Currently, the Office of Student Accessibility & Testing operates golf carts for students who have issues getting around campus. 

Hall said the new golf carts will be able to accommodate mobility aids such as walkers and wheelchairs, something the existing ones do not allow for. 

This summer, she said the golf carts will transition to Parking Services rather than OSAT. They will be available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., longer than they are currently, and may eventually service faculty, staff and visitors as well. 

Hall also addressed a recent act by the Student Senate, calling for the university to take a look at whether faculty honor students’ accommodations. 

“When a faculty member gets a letter of accommodations for a student, we want to hear from the faculty members,” Hall said. “Are these things possible or, if not, what might be things you might be able to do to help a student in this situation?”

Finally, Hall said that the university will be working on the CAC Theater starting over the summer, making several changes to make the building accessible.

Reaching R1 status

One of WSU’s goals is to reach R1 status in the Carnegie system, which ranks universities based on how much they spend on research and the number of research-based doctorates they award. 

In the most recent three-year classification cycle, WSU fell short of the mark for R1, awarding only 48 of the 70 doctorates needed in a given year. 

Lounsbery said WSU doesn’t need to change much to reach the higher status. 

“We just have to be better at recruiting our graduate students and doctoral students with the existing programs we have and maybe add one or maybe two more,” she said. 

Parking

Hall acknowledged the multiple times SGA has asked for changes to parking policies. SGA passed a resolution in the fall after Shocker Hall residents were banned from parking in six of the campus marking lots and another in March, asking for several policy changes. 

Hall said that a parking and transportation committee that she is a part of is working to address some of these concerns and “hear from all members of the community.” 

The town hall, which occurs every semester, can be viewed on the Student Government Association’s YouTube channel.