Wright State trustees to set goals for new president

Wright State University’s board of trustees will meet today to begin developing goals for new president Cheryl Schrader.

The board will use the meeting to start setting goals for its new president and to address some issues at the school, said chairman Doug Fecher. The goals for Schrader will focus on financial sustainability and continuing to fix other ongoing issues at Wright State, Fecher said.

RELATED: Wright State president talks about cuts, transparency, athletics

In June, Wright State slashed more than $30.8 million from its budget in an attempt to correct years of overspending.

“The budget last year didn’t fix anything,” Fecher said. “It stopped the bleeding.”

Fecher said the board will also lay out its priorities for the upcoming school year.

Those will include adding more board oversight of athletics and student affairs as well as adding enrollment oversight the board’s academic affairs committee. A new board committee will also work on addressing what the board’s duties and responsibilities are, Fecher said.

RELATED: Wright State named one of ‘Best Midwestern’ colleges by review

As WSU officials planned the fiscal year 2018 budget, athletics came under close scrutiny because of a proposal that increased the athletics budget by $1.4 million but is expected to cut overall sports spending. Enrollment has also been a topic of discussion as full-time enrollment is expected to hit its lowest point in more than a decade this fall.

“We want to do it fast because we don’t want half the year to get away,” Fecher said.

The Ohio Auditor of State’s office may also begin looking into Wright State for matters related to possible H-1B visa fraud if trustees approve a waiver of attorney-client privilege on Tuesday.

RELATED: Ohio Auditor may join investigation of Wright State H-1B visa issues

If trustees approve of the measure, the state auditor will be given access to a internal audit related to an immigration investigation that has dogged the university for more than two years.

The probe is likely another response to referrals made by WSU, which Fecher described as “routine.” The state auditor’s office declined to comment on the matter.

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