Dear Regional Campus Community,
I am writing to follow up on recent university communications about Kent State’s budget situation and to specifically address what this means for our Regional Campus System. Working closely with our campus deans, we want to ensure you understand both the challenges we face and the steps we are taking to address them.
As noted in last week’s Talking with Todd, the university is facing three main “squeeze points” that affect our operations. Here is a quick summary of those points, along with how each impacts our Regional Campus System.
- Student Demographics: Due to a declining population in Ohio, we anticipate fewer students enrolling in public institutions, including Kent State. Our Regional Campuses will feel this challenge even more acutely, as we primarily serve local, diverse learners — those who may most reflect these demographic shifts.
- State Share of Instruction (SSI): The state support for public education remains fairly flat and must be divided among Ohio’s 14 public institutions, with the state’s two largest public universities gaining a greater proportion. This is particularly significant for our Regional Campus System as SSI constitutes over 40% of our revenue — a notably higher percentage than for the Kent Campus.
- Tuition Guarantee: While we can only raise tuition for first-year students according to state law, this actually affects the Regional Campus System somewhat less severely than the Kent Campus. Due to our higher percentage of first-year students, partially due to offering associate degrees, we expect to see slightly less impact here.
In addition to these “squeeze points,” President Diacon said Kent State has encountered two unexpected cost increases: higher-than-predicted employee benefit costs and unexpectedly high maintenance and repair expenses.
Response and Action Steps
Due to these pressures, we are implementing a series of oversight measures on hiring, travel, and spending. These measures are designed to closely align with the university’s overall financial health strategy.
- Hiring: Every open position across Regional Campuses is being carefully reviewed. This includes roles at all stages of the hiring process. Campus deans, along with Regional Campus/CATS leadership, will be in close contact with affected groups as we evaluate hiring priorities, working with the President and Provost to determine essential roles moving forward. All requests for temporary, part-time, or intermittent staffing should be directed to your campus dean with clear rationale and details for consideration.
- Travel: For any travel outside the region, please schedule a discussion with your campus dean to review plans. Essential travel within the region, such as for teaching or accreditation, remains permissible, but will need to be approved ahead of time. Whenever possible, consider alternatives like Teams meetings.
- Spending: Campus deans, along with myself, will be dedicating more time to scrutinizing spending decisions than in previous years, focusing on every dollar spent. Think of it as akin to balancing your checkbook daily instead of weekly, ensuring that we’re as prudent as possible with university resources. All spending requests should be directed to your campus dean with a clear explanation of need and impact.
For all requests — hiring, travel, and spending — your campus dean is your starting point. Deans will initiate the proper reviews through appropriate channels. Please expect thoughtful consideration rather than immediate decisions.
Moving Forward Together
While these financial pressures affect various parts of the university in different ways, we are all involved in this effort to ensure Kent State’s continued financial health. Some challenges may impact the Regional Campus System more strongly than the Kent Campus, others less so, but we all have a role to play in maintaining the university’s solid foundation.
Kent State University continues to do great things, and to ensure we can continue this trajectory and do even more, we must all do our part. I am confident that by working together, we can meet these challenges while maintaining our commitment to academic excellence and student success.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we navigate these challenges together.
Peggy