Dear colleagues,
As we hit the midway point in the spring semester, I’d like to provide an update on WSU’s approach to recent executive orders and federal actions. Since my last update to campus during the spring 2025 town hall, a lot has happened that is impactful on higher education, including more federal cuts, an FAQ that provides further explanation to the Department of Education’s Feb. 14 Dear Colleague Letter, and the most recent executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, to name a few.
As a result of the recent orders and actions, DEI efforts within the higher education landscape continue to evolve. At Wichita State, and in alignment with other Kansas Board of Regents institutions, we are conducting a systematic review of our policies, procedures and programs to ensure compliance with changing federal and state requirements. Some of these efforts include:
- Reviewing the university’s strategic plan, which includes our inclusive excellence goal.
- Changes to the WSU website, programs, initiatives and events as the university works to ensure continued compliance. You may notice disclaimer language on some web pages currently under review.
- Some members of our campus research community have already experienced the loss of federal grant funding because of these orders, and we continue to review our funded projects and work with our principal investigators (PIs) and co-PIs to develop alternative plans in the event funding is lost.
While the effects of changes in our federal and state government may not be immediate for everyone, it is likely that at some point, these shifts will touch each of us in different ways.
As the need to respond to changes occurs, we will continue to make every effort to communicate, because that is an important part of our process. As part of my introduction to campus, I’m engaging in a series of faculty/staff convenings with each college, where we will discuss campus initiatives around strategic planning and how we are responding to current challenges while continuing to pursue opportunities.
If you have specific concerns about a particular policy, issue or event, please elevate it to the dean or vice president of your division so we can work through challenges together.
Lastly, though our campus must comply with state and federal requirements, we are and will remain firmly committed to the ability of all members of our campus community to thrive and succeed. Thank you for being a valuable member of our campus community and for the work you do to make WSU an incredible place to learn, work and grow.
Dr. Monica Lounsbery, provost and senior executive vice president
