To: The Wellesley Community
From: President Paula A. Johnson
Re: Update on Progress Towards a Sustainable Operating Budget
Date: February 28, 2018

I am writing to update you on the progress we are making towards an operating budget adjusted to ensure the College’s long-term sustainability.

We recognize the need for a sustainable budget, one that fully supports our educational program and institutional priorities, provides for continuous investment in innovation, and meets our responsibility to renew and maintain our beautiful, historic campus. And, equally, we recognize that achieving this goal will require a campus-wide effort.

I am glad to report that the campus community has become involved in these efforts, and together, we have taken several steps to move us closer to the sound financial footing that will secure the College’s future.

Thanks to the success of the Voluntary Retirement Program (VRP) among administrative staff, we have begun to update and streamline College operations as well as realize significant savings. As we rethink priorities, reconfigure administrative staffing, and make critical decisions about essential functions, all open administrative positions, whether they resulted through the VRP or otherwise, will be carefully evaluated.

Over the course of this academic year, the cross-functional Leadership Forum Group, composed of 30 administrative department heads, has broken into five groups in order to assess specific business functions: budget accountability and purchasing, contracts, travel, consultants, and events management. The groups collected and analyzed data as well as collaborated with internal and external experts in order to identify opportunities to streamline work. At the end of January, the groups submitted recommendations for redesigning systems and practices across campus to improve our effectiveness as well as reduce costs. Senior Leadership is reviewing and prioritizing these recommendations, and this spring, we will work with members of the College administration to implement changes.

In addition, the human resources and finance departments have been working with divisional directors and senior managers to rethink priorities, as well as how priorities are achieved. They are also considering integrating some key administrative functions (events, fundraising, budget and finance) that are currently duplicated in different divisions of the College, and they are working closely with the leadership of centers and other affiliated entities.

In short, virtually every group across the College is reconsidering how it carries out its work, and re-envisioning its organization, processes, and traditional functions to more effectively conduct the business of the College.

The Provost Office is also making progress in its efforts to recalibrate the academic program and the size of the faculty. In order to accomplish the needed reduction in the overall size of the faculty, the majority of tenure-track lines vacated as a result of the VRP will not be replaced. Working with academic departments and with the Advisory Committee on Academic Staffing, we are working strategically to ensure the strength of the academic program for current and future generations of students.

Across the College, we are asking all departments and cost center managers to approach budgeting differently this year in terms of considering both restricted and unrestricted sources of funding. Using these funds more consistently enables us to more effectively support all of the programs and needs of the College.

Taken together, these steps are moving the College toward a more sustainable operating budget. All of us in the Wellesley community share a commitment to our mission and to securing the College’s bright future. I thank you for all your efforts.