Faculty & Staff September Update

On this page, you will find the September 30, 2025 communication from President Dr. Lisa Lambert.
Faculty & Staff September Update
By Lisa Lambert / 30 September 2025

 

Hi everyone,
 
The semester is off to a great start, and the students have been out in force on the Shadyside quad, enjoying both the weather and the new quad furniture. Clubs, events, and fall sports are also off and running. 
 
Check  and Happenings () for the latest schedules and updates.
 
The Chatham Board of Trustees meets three times a year. The fall meeting (October 6) regularly includes a budget review and annual budget approval. Student government representatives will also meet with the Trustees for breakfast before the meeting, and representatives from the faculty University Committee will present an update on the plans for the faculty senate during the meeting.

Homecoming and Reunion Events

While Homecoming and Reunion weekend is scheduled for October 3-5, the week begins with Spirit Day on Monday, September 29, with events and activities all week. For more information, see . Please thank all the folks in Student Affairs, Advancement, and Athletics for their hard work in making these events special for the Chatham community!
 

Middle States - This Is Our Accreditation Year!

The draft self-study has been sent to our visiting team chair for his comments and is available for review and comments by the whole community. To review the document and for more information on the process, see the Middle States Self-Study myChatham site.
Key dates:
  • Visit by Accreditation Visiting Team Chair, Dr. Elliott Hirshman: October 24, 2025
  • Deadline to submit Final Self-Study Report: December 29, 2025
  • Accreditation Visiting Team visit: March 8-11, 2026

Campus Community and Environment

New Employees
Workday and IT
Planning for Workday Student has started. This will update our student records system and other areas not covered in phase one of the Workday Project. The Workday Implementation teams have heard your feedback that the training systems and resources must be updated; please be patient while some new training and “how-to” aids are finalized. In the meantime, you can find many helpful resources here: . 
Facilities Updates
Facilities Management and Campus Services are developing a new “Rounding Program” to proactively monitor the condition of campus buildings and grounds and improve communications with the campus community. A draft of that plan was presented at last week’s cabinet meeting. This plan will establish regularly scheduled walkthroughs, standardized checklists, and improved documentation and communication. More details are coming soon!
Communications and IT
Work on replacing the Chatham intranet (My.Chatham) is moving forward, with a hoped-for implementation time in the spring semester.
 
Please remember to read and submit your accomplishments and ideas for stories to the Pulse- we all want to hear about the great things you are doing! Here’s the link to submit your news: .

Latest Federal Changes and the Impact on Chatham

Our Strategic Response Team is monitoring the latest announcements about H1-B visas. Our HR staff has been in touch with our attorneys for more information. While the announcement does not apply directly to current employees, the university will continue to watch for developments.

Budget and Enrollment

While we are still awaiting the final word from our new auditing firm, CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), I’m happy to report that we were able to close the books on the 2025 fiscal year with a balanced cash budget. This was done through fundraising, cost controls, and selling non-strategic residential rental properties. We are still dealing with a structural deficit, which we are actively working to address. I know everyone is working hard to bring ideas to the table, look for areas of growth opportunity, and keep operating costs down- thank you!  After the October Board of Trustees meeting, which includes approval of the FY26 budget, we will schedule an in-person employee and FY26 budget update.
 
While the final census is not yet complete, new enrollment for the fall was slightly down in graduates but was most significant at the first-year student level. We have determined this is primarily due to increasing affordability pressures, discounting from other schools, and declining undergraduate programs that feed our Integrated Degree Programs. Efforts to turn this around for next year include renewed investments in marketing, new financial aid staffing, revising our financial aid strategies, and examining graduate-level pricing for some programs. More information will be shared next month after the Board meeting and census.
Upcoming Dates (also see our )
  • Homecoming and Alumni Reunion: October 3-5
  • Fall Board of Trustees Meeting: October 6
  • Long Weekend: Sat-Tues, October 11-14
  • Hollander Lecture: October 15
Remember, this newsletter will be available on the new “From the President” page on chatham.edu (so you don’t have to search through your emails!)
 
Thank you, everyone, for everything you do for Chatham.
Lisa