Oregon State University is confronting a tightening financial environment as lower enrollment, federal budget cuts, uncertain state funding and broader economic headwinds strain the university’s budget.
In a January meeting the Board of Trustees said the fall term freshman class was smaller this academic year than in the year prior and Ecampus has seen a relatively flat rate of enrollment — though at this time it is unclear what those numbers are. The board plans to have more concrete numbers in the spring.
Fewer students translates directly into reduced tuition revenue which, according to University Provost Roy Haggerty, is the university’s “largest single source of revenue.”…