Wayne State President Allan Gilmour reviewed the university’s challenges and changes that lie ahead during a town hall meeting Aug. 10 in the Schaver Music Recital Hall in Old Main.

He addressed the tough decisions the university has had to make as a result of the cuts in state funding to Michigan universities. In order to fill a $32 million deficit, he said, the university had to raise tuition and cut approximately 200 positions, about 85 of which were filled at the time.

“This is always a last resort. It is among the hardest realities we face. But we had little choice, and we did what we needed to do. We regret losing people who contributed to Wayne and who are our friends,” he said.

Later on, Gilmour revisited the topic of employee morale. The university is experiencing tough times right now, he said, but he urged everyone to think of the work WSU is accomplishing.

“We are doing important things, and we’re doing it for the future of both our area and our country,” Gilmour said. “I think we can be very proud of that.”

Gilmour also discussed the financial aspects of WSU. He did not mince words as he told the audience he did not anticipate any increases in state funding for universities.

“If anything, higher education has a target on its back,” he said.

He also addressed the recent accusations from lawmakers that Michigan State University and WSU were “gaming the system” by raising tuition higher than the 7.1 percent bar set by the state budget. The state budget director’s office announced July 28 that no such violations were committed by either university.

“We weren’t gaming the system, and the issue has been settled in our favor,” Gilmour said. “But it’s just another example of the scrutiny of higher education by the government and by others.”

Changes are coming to WSU, he said.

Next year, the budgeting system and the accounting system will be tied together to more efficiently create the university’s budget, and faculty will be more involved during the budget-making process. Expanded programs in recruitment, service, financial support and advising, among other areas, are also on the way, he said.

Gilmour also addressed the tough question of selectivity in admissions.

WSU is a “university of opportunity,” he said, but “opportunity does not mean we can allow students to attend who are unlikely to succeed here.” He said the university is working to develop a “profile” of a student likely to succeed at WSU, as well as a profile of a student who will not.

However, Gilmour said, that “profile” is not the end-all, be-all.

“We have an obligation to look deeper, to take a balanced view, to take a chance on some students who might not be admitted to the exclusive schools and help them succeed here and to suggest alternatives to those who we expect will not succeed here,” Gilmour said.

WSU must balance making it “too easy to get in” against becoming “another exclusive university,” he said, in order to do what’s best for students.

Gilmour also said the university had just reviewed the final report compiled by the Huron Consulting Group, which reviewed WSU’s administrative processes and offered suggestions for improvements. Services across the university will be streamlined and restructured to be more accessible to students and staff, he said.

One of the biggest changes to come will be in the Welcome Center. There, he said, students will be able to take advantage of “one-stop shopping” by being able to access admissions, financial aid, registration and housing all in the same place.

“These aren’t just exercises in bureaucracy,” he said. “They’re about making us better, (and) if anything, getting rid of bureaucracy.”

Rick Smith, a faculty member at the WSU School of Social Work, said that while he wished Gilmour could have given more details about some of his visions for the future, he was pleased to hear about the university’s collaboration with the Detroit Revitalization Fellows program to better utilize its property for retail enterprises.

“I liked that they’re looking into doing something with all the vacant property that Wayne owns,” Smith said. “I hope that surface parking lots are converted to student housing with retail on the first floor because a lot of students and recent graduates are looking to live in Detroit, but they can’t find a good place to live.”

Sandra Yee, dean of the WSU Library System, said Gilmour’s message of perseverance through tough times was something that applies to all members of the university.

“We really have to work together. We have to collaborate with one another, and while we may have suffered a budget reduction, we are still able to do what we need to do for the faculty and the students,” Yee said. “It was a really good message for what we need to hear right now.”

Knowing how to rise above hard times is key, she said.

“It’s always a disappointment to hear things like, ‘We can’t expect any more money from the state,’ but…if that’s the reality, then we better understand it and then figure out how we’re going to deal with it,” Yee said.

“It’s not a message we want to hear,” she said, “but it’s a message that we need to hear.”