Wilberforce University Forced to Tighten Its Belt

Wilberforce University, the historically black educational institution in Ohio, is facing a $2.8 million operating shortfall for the current academic year. As a result, interim president Patricia Hardaway has announced that it is eliminating eight administrative positions and reducing salaries for other staff members. Employees will be placed on three nonpaid furloughs during the current academic year at times when students are off from classes. No faculty positions will be eliminated.

The university also plans to reduce its operating budget by eliminating nonessential travel, memberships in professional organizations, and employee use of university cellphones and other communications devices.

President Hardaway said that reduced private giving, endowment earnings, and tuition revenue have all contributed to the budget shortfall.

Copyright © 2008. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.