Washburn University Accreditation - Public Comments
March 10, 2008
Inadequate Oversight of Administration
The conclusion of WU’s accreditation self-study report states that Washburn University
“Operates with integrity to ensure the fulfillment of its mission through structures and processes that involve the board, administration, faculty, staff, and students.”
This is simply not true. The administration specifically engages in informal processes, such as town hall meetings and faculty dinners, giving the appearance of collaboration while providing no accountability for decisions made in the President’s office.
The President has undertaken an aggressive capital program, increasing the university’s debt while depleting university reserves, investing in brick and mortar while the core mission – education – suffers from a lack of resources, as evidenced by the lack of faculty development and inattention to providing for realistic growth in the academic operating budgets.
The WU Board of Regents has allowed this President full reign with the university’s check book by not providing for an independent, internal control function reporting directly to the Board members. Numerous board actions have been taken to authorize capital projects, with the promise of taking a hard look at this the next time around. But the next time keeps coming around, and the next project (most recently the $5.0 million renovation of Whiting Hall) is approved.
Now the university is facing decreasing enrollments, depleted reserves and a “budget crisis” for FY09 that will most likely be resolved with a significant tuition increase, further exacerbating the enrollment trend.