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Declining Enrollment at WKU Creating Budget Challenges

Overall enrollment at Western Kentucky University is stagnant from this time last year, which has helped create a nearly $15 million budget deficit.  Members of the Board of Regents expressed concern at their quarterly meeting Friday.

The current student population is 20,267, only ten fewer students from fall 2016.

Overall, the numbers are flat, but excluding dual credit and Gatton Academy students, there’s a three percent decline in the number of students on campus.

Sobering and serious were how some regents described the enrollment picture.

Following the meeting, WKU President Timothy Caboni said the enrollment drop shows the need for a different budget model.

"One of the reasons we must have a new model that's more nimble and responsive is that we have about a $15 million gap in tuition revenue to close," Caboni told WKU Public Radio.

Dr. Caboni said part of the budget hole could be filled by recruitment and retention, but he said the revenue challenge becomes greater amid pressures from the state such as rising pension contributions. 

The state’s public universities are excluded from mid-year budget cuts that Governor Bevin is expected to make soon.

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Lisa is a Scottsville native and WKU alum. She has worked in radio as a news reporter and anchor for 18 years. Prior to joining WKU Public Radio, she most recently worked at WHAS in Louisville and WLAC in Nashville. She has received numerous awards from the Associated Press, including Best Reporter in Kentucky. Many of her stories have been heard on NPR.
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