The university will implement staffing reductions in phases between now and September, said Jennifer Bott, provost and vice president for academic affairs, during a budget briefing published this week on Western’s YouTube channel.
And how deep might those cuts be?
In the best-case scenario, WMU students return to campus for the upcoming fall semester and the state doesn’t cut funding to higher education too drastically. In this scenario, the university expects to lose $45 million, Bott said.
In the worst-case scenario, state funding is cut deeply and distance education continues into the fall semester. In this case, the university could lose up to $85 million, Bott said.
“We must anticipate the worst scenario,” she said.
