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.