Rocky Horror Collectors’ Poster
Sustainability goes gold
Kailey Willsey; Volleyball wins
Pages 6-7
Page 8
Page 10
Vol. 132 NO. 5
October 30, 2025
By the students, for the students Interior of the NAC building. (Photo by Jackson Roberts)
CWU’S STAFFING
“ATTRITION” HAS ITS IMPACTS ACROSS CAMPUS
Jim Wohlpart speaking at The State of the University. (Photo courtesy of CWU)
Brandon Mattesich & Jackson Roberts Co-Editors-In-Chief
C
WU Administration has been using the idea of “attrition” for adapting the university’s staff size to its new student population for at least the past four years. With college enrollment on a steady decline since the pandemic in 2020, universities nationwide have been forced to adapt to smaller student populations and reduced federal funding. CWU has taken a distinctly “different” approach to handling that decrease, and its effects are being felt across the university. Joel Klucking, senior VP of finance and administration, described how CWU is operating under this new financial situation as an “attrition model,” stating, “We have acknowledged early on that this [how CWU handles a smaller student body] was something that we needed to pivot on,” Klucking said. “As enrollment has declined, we have done the things necessary to try to match the number of faculty and staff for a student body our size.” “Our [model] is called the attrition model, so we figure out if we’re going to replace positions when they become vacant,” Klucking continued. “We haven’t laid anybody off, technically. A lot of universities just say, ‘Well, I have a $20 million deficit, and I’m going to cut $20 million right now.’ There’s two different ways of doing it, and I think our way in a small community is
“Our (model) is called
the attrition model,
so we figure out of
we’re going to replace
positions when they become vacant. We haven’t laid anybody
off, technically.” - Joel Klucking, senior VP of finance and administration
probably less painful, but that’s up for debate.” Last year there were 8,509 students enrolled at CWU, this year there are 8,309, a 2% drop. That drop however, is less than what administration at the university had anticipated, so the university’s financial planning was set to account for this drop ahead of time, according to Klucking. At a gathering with local media on Oct. 23, President Jim Wohlpart shared a similar sentiment to Klucking on the university’s financial standing. “We are very different than just about any other university across the United States. And what I would say is despite all the challenges that higher education is facing and that Central Washington University is facing, with budgets and what is happening at the federal government, we’re in a really good place.” One of the things that makes Central different from other universities of a similar size is the vast quantity of degree paths offered. While “attrition” does affect the number of staff and faculty on campus, Klucking said that the university does not want it to impact the programs offered. “We’ve tried really hard not to cut programs, because that’s the reason that students come here,” Klucking said. “There’s a natural cycle for programs, they’re created to meet a market need… and then at some point they reach their end of life and they are sunset, so there are programs sunsetting. We’re creating new programs all the time, and we’re sunsetting programs, but I don’t think it’s been for budget purposes.” Wohlpart further spoke on how saved salaries from employees leaving are being put toward the university’s financial future. “We have about a $2.8 million deficit for the year,” Wohlpart said. “We are already a third of the way there, and covering that through salary savings. So when an employee tells us they’re leaving, it takes us three or four months to replace them. In those three or four months, we collect the salary savings from that, and that will fill that budget note. We will probably have a small surplus next year.”
A first look at the brand new NAC Jackson Roberts Co-Editor-In-Chief ocal media had the opportunity last week to tour CWU’s newest facility, the North Academic Complex (NAC), scheduled to open in mid 2026. Director of Capital Planning and Projects Delano Palmer and Project Manager Joe Chanes led the tour throughout the building, which takes the place of the previous Language & Literature (L&L) building. The $103 million dollar complex will have a modern flare, with a four-story central atrium, and will be home to a mock courtroom and a 240 seat auditorium. Spanning from the first floor to the ceiling is cross laminated timber from the Yakama Nation. The timber is compressed together, forming the same structural strength as steel and serving as a unique design compared to CWU’s other buildings. “It is one of the most spectacular buildings that I’ve ever been in on a college campus,” CWU President Wohlpart said. Chanes mentioned that on each wing of the NAC, they plan to have open floor plans to make sure that it is as inviting to students as possible. In those spaces as well there will be collaborative study areas for students, lounge seating, mobile marker boards and flat screen TV’s. Palmer added to the importance of having these study spaces for students. “That is probably one of the most important recurring things, is the collaboration and allowance spacing. Capital planning works on improving every building, taking lessons from the previous one. One thing we learned is we did not have enough lounge space before class.” “As we go through each one of these floors, you will notice an abundance of relaxation, collaboration space, sit-down space. The intention here is that when students get to the building, there is no need to leave. They can just relax before and after class and have plenty of space to do their work and study for class,” Palmer said.
L
BOTH STORIES CONTINUED ON PAGE 3