Revised 1:28 p.m., April 21, 2026
Enrollment is one of many factors driving the Doane Forward initiative. While enrollment at Doane has recently increased, national college enrollment rates fell during COVID and have been in decline for over a decade. As Dr. Judy Kawamoto, Vice President of Student Affairs, explains, expenses currently exceed revenue. Doane Forward aims to address this imbalance by cutting expenses and expanding investments.
“At Doane University, we’re already offering things that, you know, some of our competitors aren’t, and so we don’t want to lose those things,” Dr. Kawamoto said. The leadership team has emphasized that the liberal arts foundation will not be compromised as part of these budget adjustments.
Each area of the university varies significantly in terms of expenses due to its different functions. An audit by Baker Tilly revealed that from June 30, 2024, to June 30, 2025, the university spent over $20 million on instruction, $13 million on student services, $6 million on academic support, $8 million on institutional support, and $5 million on auxiliary enterprises. Meanwhile, the majority of Doane’s revenue is generated from academic programs.
Cuts will be tailored to each area, potentially involving reductions in travel and events. However, when considering total expenses, grants/assistance and salaries account for most costs, totaling over $20 million. Notably, only 15 individuals at Doane have reportable incomes exceeding $100,000.
Retirement isn’t necessarily connected with Doane Forward, but it does help us with the planning purposes of what the landscape is going to look like next year,” Director of Human Resources Anne Ziola said.
The faculty handbook outlines several retirement options, and the university occasionally offers a voluntary separation incentive program (VSIP) with specific qualifications. Retiring faculty may receive a certain amount of money towards their retirement account. Ziola clarified that VSIPs are not offered every year, but they are available this year. “We’ve extended this opportunity to several faculty members, and a few have taken advantage of it. It’s up to those individuals to announce their retirement plans,” Ziola said.
As some faculty leave or retire, we will reassess job descriptions and responsibilities. Ziola assured that HR will work to match positions to individuals’ skills to prevent any overload.
During the Faculty Assembly meeting on April 15, attended by President Roger Hughes, CFO Linda Scholting and VP of Enrollment John Frost, divisions were asked to draft plans for cutting 13% to 20% of their budgets. How each area implements these cuts is at their discretion, with certain areas having limited options for reducing costs. For example, academic affairs expenses primarily stem from faculty salaries; thus, potential cuts would likely involve personnel reductions.
The final proposal will not be shared with students, staff or faculty before the board of trustees meeting on May 7 and 8.
Student input could potentially influence the outcome. “It helps in terms of forming the development of the plan,” Dr. Kawamoto said. “We really need to preserve the student experience.”
Questions and concerns can be directed to doaneforward@doane.edu. Students are also encouraged to bring their inquiries to the leadership team, who will be at the beige desk outside the cafeteria once a week. Additionally, any student is welcome to attend the Student Congress meetings held every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Perry Boardroom.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Doane’s enrollment has been in decline. Although it is true that student enrollment at U.S. colleges, including Doane, has trended downward over the past decade, most notably during the Covid pandemic, Doane has more recently seen an uptick in enrollment. The Owl regrets the error.
