BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Western Washington University (WWU) has announced job cuts in an effort to relieve its current budget problems.

The university released a series of cost-saving measures on Oct. 14, including several moves to permanently restructure its administrative services.

It came in light of a budget deficit the university says it’s facing due to lingering revenue shortfalls from the COVID-19 pandemic, insufficient state funding and general inflation.

“Our strategy is to create a simpler administrative structure that streamlines relationships, aligns shared priorities, and reduces costly redundancies,” said WWU President Sabah Randhawa. “We are doing everything we can to minimize the impact of our reorganization and cost-cutting measures on personnel and plan to have finished most of the changes and reductions in the organization by the end of Spring 2025. At the same time, we remain committed to sustaining our academic strengths and advancing our mission and strategic priorities.”

WWU’s annual operating budget will see an $18 million reduction from its $235 million annual budget. The reduction is being phased in now and will continue through the year of 2026 to 2027.

As part of the changes, WWU says it will eliminate 20 vacant positions and five currently filled positions this month. It also plans to cut about 30 more positions as part of the 2025-26 academic year budget plan.

Additionally, the university will consolidate several administrative departments and outsource dispatch services to What-Comm 911 to streamline its operations.

A detailed list of future changes and reorganization plans can be found in the university’s recent announcement.