While the Trump administration’s grip on federal funding intensifies, mid-level universities continue to reckon with tightening budgets since the pandemic. Through cross-department collaboration and empathy, leaders can score small wins to uplift faculty morale and support students, says Matthew Wright, department chair and professor of physics at Adelphi University in New York.
“It’s important to still spend money and innovate,” he says. “You’ve got to go forward and be creative and look where you can, even if times are tough.”
On today’s episode of the University Business Podcast, Wright explains “chairflation,” where department chairs are reckoning with tough decisions as the cost for basic school resources and faculty travel continue to rise, while budgets remain flat.
For example, the price of physics conferences, once around $500, have climbed north of $1,000, Wright says.
“We try to find every way to support our faculty, even if we have to squeeze over here and squeeze over there to get an extra dollar, especially for our junior faculty members who are just starting. We try to find ways to get them on the road and networking with their peers and doing good science.”
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To stay frugal, Wright explains how his department has begun sharing resources and equipment with the departments of chemistry, computer science and even the arts. Over the last two years, physics began lending equipment to the arts department in exchange for access to its shops.
“It’s really great to see this kind of collaboration between art and physics,” Wright says. “You wouldn’t think they would work very well together, but here we are sharing resources and making cool things.”
However, tight budgets will inevitably trickle down and affect the opportunities available to faculty and students.
“When we do read about these macroscopic things that are happening across higher ed, we can’t forget about the people who are in the trenches who have to deal with it,” Wright says. “Continuing to listen to and speak with students, reminding them that we’re on their side, helps keep me going.
