WSU cuts won't have big impact locally

CELINA - Wright State University's budget constraints should have little impact on the local branch, Lake Campus Dean Jay Albayyari said.

Interim WSU President Curtis McCray on Friday announced 11 emergency cuts, including halting minor construction projects, but Albayyari says work would proceed on the Lake Campus' proposed ag and water quality center after having been approved at Friday's board of trustees meeting.

Final bids for the building are in, and Albayyari said construction is expected to start in May.

"The Lake Campus has been operating with a positive cash balance for more than 10 consecutive fiscal years," Albayyari said, noting that campus enrollment has increased.

"We are optimistic that our conservative fiscal management will continue to prevent any staff layoffs at our Lake Campus and that no programs will be impacted," he added.

The Associated Press reported on Saturday that Wright State needed to cut $25 million from its next budget and add $5 million to university reserves, according to university officials.

Doug Fecher, chairman of WSU's financial committee, told the Dayton Daily News that the university has "no choice" but to move froward with cuts. Fecher said the cuts should have been made in "small doses," but now they must be made all at once.

Official cuts are expected to be announced by the end of the month or in early May, McCray said. Layoffs and salary reductions are likely and it's possible some athletics programs could get cut as well, he said.

- The Associated Press contributed to this report.