Western Carolina University is increasingly being affected by the economic downturn impacting our nation’s economy. As a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system, WCU is facing state-mandated cuts to our funding and is being asked to make plans for even deeper cuts in the future. We also know that this recession is having a direct impact on you and your family’s finances. Given these extraordinary challenges, we’re writing to inform you of the steps that your university is taking to protect the quality of your education, as well as to support you and your family during these difficult times.
As a starting point, WCU is looking for ways to maintain academic quality while adjusting to these harsh new fiscal realities. You are going to see a number of changes to WCU’s academic life over the next several months. For example, some class sizes may increase on average 3 to 9 students; the academic day may extend beyond what is currently typical for some areas, resulting in an increase in the number of sections of courses being offered between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. and between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. A few of our enrichment programs may be consolidated with other programs or temporarily suspended; and in some cases, academic materials may be limited to electronic versions. These are just some of the steps we are taking to hold down costs while protecting academic quality.
However, it is also likely that WCU will not be able to retain some of our valuable faculty and staff. Some of you may have already heard about potential cuts to the faculty and staff. Like other UNC institutions, WCU is required to reduce operating costs and since the largest allocation of our budget supports personnel, to meet this mandate we may have no choice but to reduce the number of faculty and staff we employ. If this becomes necessary, personnel reductions will be made selectively and in a manner that we believe will protect the overall quality of Western’s academic programs and minimally impact students.
We are also very aware of the concerns you and your family share about paying for college. WCU remains dedicated to helping our students and their families plan and prepare for college expenses. We want to assure you that Federal student aid remains readily accessible. With Congress debating a new economic stimulus package, which includes funding for Pell grant increases, our Financial Aid Office is processing financial aid applications for the upcoming academic year. While we cannot be absolutely certain what will happen, the Financial Aid Office is here to help answer your questions and listen to your concerns.
Additionally, the Financial Aid officers have the flexibility to use their best professional judgment when awarding financial aid packages. Conditions that merit the use of professional judgment in the award process include a parent’s loss of employment or extraordinary medical expenses. Please do not hesitate to contact the Financial Aid Office if significant events such as these have occurred in the last year or should you have any questions. Our best advice at this time is to apply for financial aid no later than March 31, 2009 and follow-up with the Financial Aid Office if your family’s financial situation changes.
In closing, there is one last step WCU is taking at this time and that is the creation of a website so students can stay up to date on this situation. At the WCU website, look for Budget Update links on the Student Life and Current Students pages. We’ll make updates to this website as new information becomes available. We’ll also be posting information on the Family Association website for your parents.
We hope that this information is helpful and we’ll be in touch as new information becomes available.
Sincerely,
John W. Bardo
Chancellor