On Friday, Wright State University’s board of trustees will publicly discuss the school’s finances for the first time since the end of the recent 20-day faculty strike. The strike led to widespread disruptions to classes and campus life for thousands of students.
During the meeting board members are expected to address some of the strike’s financial impacts.
Student withdrawals between January 31 and the end of the strike resulted in a decline in tuition revenue, according to a monthly performance report released by the board ahead of the meeting.
Tuition is typically the largest source of income for universities.
Even before the strike, the school was struggling with declining enrollment. Wright State lost more than 3,000 full-time students between 2011 and 2018.
And, Wright State officials report just over 400 students withdrew from the school since the start of the spring semester. A university spokesperson says comparable numbers from last year are not available.
Other costs associated with the strike include compensation for replacement instructors. A number of substitutes filled in for picketing professors during the nearly three-week-long work stoppage.
The university says all classes that were canceled during strike have resumed as originally scheduled.
University President Cheryl Schrader has said the contract deal that ended the faculty strike could save Wright State millions of dollars a year.
The board of trustees approved the deal last week. Union members are expected to vote on the new contract in the coming weeks.
The board of trustees meeting is scheduled for Friday at 8:30 a.m. in the Berry Room of the Wright State Nutter Center.