Committee to elect cathy albro for congress issued the following announcement on Sept 21.
Western Michigan University's president says it's making progress in areas like graduation rates and adapting to change. But in his annual "State of the University" address on Friday, September 20, Edward Montgomery also said it faces some serious challenges as state funding continues to fall.
"As our legislature grapples with the 2020 budget, what's been proposed for us is a point-five - one half of one percent - increase in our general fund. That will not dent that downward cycle. The consequence of this shift is that there is no longer such a thing as permanent funding."
Montgomery says Western must also face up to a demographic shift as high school classes shrink.
"Our fall enrollment report was disappointing: a nearly five percent decrease in enrollment. This is greater than we have experienced in recent years and will adversely affect of our unit budgets."
But Montgomery says the university is making strides in adapting to rapid change.
"Just ten years ago, people didn't pursue jobs managing social media. They didn't aspire to develop virtual reality tools, or use 3D printing technology in the workplace, or operate drones for geological, or environmental, or even package delivery purposes. Today these are careers that WMU students are successfully pursuing."
Montgomery also pointed to major construction projects on WMU's main campus, including a new student services center and dining hall, as signs of progress. He said it and a large new student housing complex are not "vanity" projects because they will replace worn out facilities that have long exceeded their projected lifetimes.
"We spend too much on these buildings in heating and cooling, when the heating and cooling works. And we spend a lot of money on servicing them, and they are energy intensive and some of the biggest producers of carbon on this campus. That's bad for the environment and it's also bad for our budget."
Montgomery says Western will soon launch a new college called One WMU. He says it will combine academic advising and other support services.
"One WMU will allow us to prepare students for the future while offering them the flexibility they need to explore their interests, their passions, and broaden their horizons."
Original source here.
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