Whatcom Community College is discontinuing several programs and disciplines as part of the college’s attempts to position itself for “long-term financial sustainability.”
Seven programs will be discontinued, said Public Information Officer Marni Saling Mayer. That includes applied business management; finance; hospitality and tourism business management; parenting education; retail management; software development; and visual communication. The disciplines of dance and Humanities 101 and 106 will also be discontinued.
Since the fall, the college has been undertaking an Institutional Sustainability Review (ISR) “in response to declining federal and state funding, rising operational costs, and continued enrollment challenges still plaguing large segments of higher education,” Mayer said.
Every program, discipline and service area submitted reports last fall to the president on their enrollment and usage, and what modifications could be made to “increase efficiency.” Task forces that included student, staff and faculty representation made recommendations to President Justin Guillory, who made the final calls.
“These decisions were informed by multiple factors, including enrollment trends, economic outlooks, lack of market demand, student interest, completion rates, and cost per FTE (full-time equivalent),” Mayer said in an email.
Students who are currently enrolled in the programs were notified on Friday, Feb. 6. They’ll be able to complete their degrees, but no new students will be accepted, Mayer said. The hospitality and retail management programs do not have any students currently enrolled.
Parenting education, in which parents or caregivers both help operate five cooperative preschools and take parenting classes at Whatcom at a reduced rate, will be discontinued in a phased approach. All five preschools will remain open during 2026–27, “while providing the program and the preschools time to plan for transitions to other sources of support,” Mayer said, adding that it also gives families more than a year of notice.
After that period, the preschools will “no longer be affiliated” with the Organization of Parenting Education Programs, a statewide community college organization “that supports the creation of affordable cooperative preschools,” Mayer said.
The president’s cabinet will also change: Guillory decided there should be a single executive-level position — a new executive vice president for instruction and student success — to oversee both instruction and student services, rather than two vice presidents as there currently are.
Guillory characterized the effort as “course correction.”
“It’s not just a cost-cutting exercise; I can’t emphasize that enough. It’s about continuous improvement,” he told CDN in October. “We want to ultimately present a plan to position the college to be financially sustainable moving forward.”
Whatcom already made significant cuts to its budget last year. Guillory attributed the financial challenges to enrollment not returning to pre-pandemic levels and state funding not keeping pace with the college’s real costs.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.