BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Western Washington University (WWU) is undergoing some downsizing amid budget shortfalls.

WWU President Sabah Randhawa made the announcement Thursday, Sept. 19 during the State of the University address, saying that the current budget is not sustainable and has not been for years.

Randhawa said his goal is to put the university on more stable, long-term financial footing this year. He said that because 80% of the budget is for salaries, layoffs are expected.

This will mean restructuring of some of the university’s departments and removal of redundancies and already vacant spots according to university representative Jonathan Higgins. So far, the University Relations and Marketing Department has been dissolved and folded into other parts of the administration.

Randhawa attributes the budgetary issues to both low enrollment in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and lower state funding.

The university president said during his speech that he intends on focusing next legislative session on increasing WWU’s funding as it is the lowest funded out of the four state universities.