Turning points | Photo by Soham Parikh | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University (WSU) President Sue Edwards recently announced her recommendation of 113 faculty to be retrenched due to declining enrollment at Wright State University (WSU) over the past several semesters. Of those 113 faculty at risk of retrenchment, it has been recommended that 49 come from the College of Liberal Arts (CoLA).
President Edwards’ recommendation
Edwards publicly announced her retrenchment recommendations on Feb. 19 during the Board of Trustees meeting.
Edwards’ recommendation was a result of the careful analysis of reports presented by former Interim Provost Douglas Leaman and the WSU Joint Committee of Retrenchment.
“Over the past ten semesters, our enrollment has declined substantially, from a high of approximately 17,000 in 2017, to approximately 12,000 as of this past term,” Leaman said in his report to Edwards. “…the size of our academic workforce is greater than what is necessary (or even customary, among our peers) based on our current and expected enrollment. The University must adapt.”
CoLA is the largest college at WSU, housing students and faculty in a wide variety of degree programs on campus. While information on how specific programs within the institution will be impacted has yet to be released, WSU faculty have already begun to express their deep concerns.
Opposition to retrenchment
When the possibility of retrenchment was announced in November 2020, the WSU Joint Committee of Retrenchment began to meet on a regular basis to devise a plan to offset the impending retrenchment process. The committee continues to vocalize their disagreement with the idea of a large-scale retrenchment.
“The committee strongly recommends that the WSU administration do everything conceivable to optimally and maximally reduce retrenchment with the goal of removing any need for retrenchment,” the WSU Joint Committee of Retrenchment said in their report to Edwards on Feb. 6.
The committee’s suggestions included pausing retrenchment and focusing attention on areas such as offering retirement incentives for faculty, increasing enrollment efforts and providing a more flexible academic schedule.
Members of the Joint Committee for Retrenchment are not the only faculty members who have voiced concerns about the impending retrenchment process.
During the Feb. 22 Faculty Senate meeting, English professor and Faculty Senator Dr. Hope Jennings read the letter of a CoLA alumni to Edwards in an effort to showcase the importance of those serving in CoLA.
“‘The professors in the College of Liberal Arts have had a lifelong positive impact and influence on myself and countless others’,” Jennings said, quoting the alumni’s letter. “‘We all know of the sayings that students at Ohio State and other area universities use when describing WSU—Right State, Wrong University. I have always patiently but firmly corrected those peddling such nonsense, but if you go through with these proposed faculty cuts you will more than earn that reputation’.”
When Senator Jennings questioned Edwards on how she plans to address the concerns of students and alumni such as the one she referred to, Edwards reminded the group that the goal is to mitigate the number of faculty being retrenched if possible, and increase enrollment numbers with time.
“We must ask ourselves why? Why is it that Wright State has these negative tag lines? What are we doing wrong? What can we improve on? We have to win back the respect of the region, and this is something we lost years ago,” Edwards said.
While there is the possibility for the retrenchment plans to change as upcoming semester enrollments begin, the university plans to continue the retrenchment process as outlined and mutually agreed upon in the Collective Bargaining Agreement with AAUP-WSU.
