WWU redefines itself in light of state cuts

This past spring's proposed state budget cuts to higher education threatened to be so draconian that at one point, Western Washington University considered eliminating two of its eight colleges.

Faced with the big cut, the school's faculty, administration and students began working together to reorder the school's academic programs, streamlining offerings at the state's third-largest university to make Western more efficient and focused.

"It's not just the money — it's the benefits of rethinking what the state needs from Western in the future," President Bruce Shepard said of the process of redefining Western.