Dear Colleagues,
Many of you have asked about current events and how the rapidly changing landscape for higher education will impact our operations at WPI.
Since January, we have carefully assessed a series of shifts in federal policy, including reductions in research funding and actions that could make the United States a less attractive destination for international students, that could significantly affect our institution. We are also tracking separate pressures such as the demographic cliff, which is expected to make the recruitment of domestic undergraduate students more challenging.
The total impact these factors will have on WPI remains unclear. For now, members of the cabinet and leaders across the campus are actively planning for a range of scenarios. As a first step toward ensuring WPI’s continued financial strength, we are writing to announce a series of immediate actions.
Hiring & Staffing:
Based on a thorough analysis of all open positions, we are closing 12 vacant positions and pausing 17 staff searches through at least September. Managers with affected positions are aware, and we thank them for working with us on alternative solutions for their areas.
Approved searches for faculty and a small number of staff will continue.
New hiring requests should be limited to vacancies of mission-critical importance.
With fewer staff in some areas, we ask managers to prioritize and to work with their teams to ensure workloads are appropriate and the most important work is sustained.
Spending:
All non-essential operating and discretionary spending should be paused to the extent possible. For further guidance on how this applies to your area, consult with your cabinet member.
All travel, meetings, and conferences over $2,500 now require pre-authorization by a cabinet member via the spend authorization or requisition process in Workday. New travel bookings should serve a clear and essential business purpose such as student recruitment, advancement activities, or presenting at an academic or research conference. Travel for professional development and other discretionary purposes should be evaluated for potential savings, including cancellation, in consultation with your cabinet member. However, scheduled travel with nonrefundable booking may make sense to continue as planned.
External sponsorships in any dollar amount now require pre-approval from Provost and Senior Vice President Andrew Sears (academic sponsorships) or Associate Vice President for External Relations & Partnerships Kola Akindele (community sponsorships).
Consulting and outsourced services should be reviewed to determine if they can be discontinued. New consulting contracts over $25,000 annually now require cabinet pre-approval.
Subscriptions and memberships should be limited to those that serve a critical academic or business purpose. Others should be cancelled or not renewed.
All expenses over $25,000 (excluding pre-approved capital expenditures) now require cabinet pre-approval.
Overtime should be closely monitored and kept to a minimum.
These measures are a beginning and are based on what we know today. Members of the cabinet will continue to work with their divisions and the campus community to identify tangible actions to improve operational cost efficiency in ways that are least disruptive to academic programs, the student experience, and research activity.
Importantly, WPI will continue investing in strategic priorities, including:
Building robust enrollment pipelines via regional recruitment, transfer partnerships, and targeted marketing outreach at the graduate level, including in international markets
Hiring faculty in high-demand areas to further establish WPI’s leadership in the fields of the future
Investing wisely in our infrastructure, including student housing, so that WPI can diversify its revenue and serve its students better
We will continue to communicate as information, especially about federal policy, becomes more concrete. We will navigate these challenging times together and with as much transparency as possible. Thank you all for your understanding and dedication to our shared mission.
Sincerely,
Mike Horan, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Andrew Sears, Provost and Senior Vice President
Lauren Turner, Senior Vice President of Talent & Inclusion
