Dr. Joe Pizzorno Outlines What’s Next for Bastyr University and Clinics

Published June 08, 2026

By Dr. Joe Pizzrono

What a year it has been!

Last year, Friends of Bastyr, a group of university supporters, and my longtime colleague, dear friend, and the Bastyr University Board of Trustees Chair Jane Guilitnan, ND asked me to return to the role of university president to help lead a turnaround effort. We agreed to a one-year term.

As my year comes to a close, I'm very pleased to report that Bastyr is back on stable financial footing. While there's work to do, I believe there is a bright future ahead.

Bastyr University Chancellor Joe Pizzorno

The Bastyr University Board of trustees is appointing me Chancellor of Bastyr University. My new role is visionary by nature. It allows me to:

• Expand Bastyr's ability to heal humankind, bringing our medicine to more people.
• Collaborate with leaders in naturopathic medicine and aligned health sciences around the world to extend our reach and bring more knowledge to our campuses.
• Serve as an academic steward to the university, and mentor more of our dynamic faculty and clinicians as they prepare to serve the generations to come.

Bastyr University President Randy Frisch

As I transition to the role of chancellor, Dr. Randy Frisch assumes the role of university president. Bastyr University is incredibly fortunate to have Dr. Frisch as its leader.

Incoming Bastyr University President Randy Frisch, PhD, JD, MBA is an exceptional and established executive who I have had the pleasure of working with this past year.

Dr. Frisch is the architect of our organizational turnaround plan. His most immediate experience, as president of City University is directly applicable to our situation. Dr. Frisch led City U for eight years. When he arrived, City U faced challenging financial circumstances. Upon his departure, City U was in a position of financial strength, in top standing with accrediting agencies, and showed enrollment growth.

Dr. Frisch has the knowledge and expertise to usher in a new era for our university. He and I will continue to collaborate.

In the meantime, there is plenty of hard work ahead. Please join me in doing all that you can to support the success of our beloved university and its mission.

Acknowledgment of Recent Challenges for Bastyr University

When Dr. Frisch and I arrived in July 2025, the reality we quickly uncovered was worse than we thought. The university, with annual revenue of about $40M, was facing:

• $14M is losses over the previous three years
• $8M in default on a loan for campus housing
• $2.5 M in accounts payable over 90 days
• The Kenmore campus was on the market, and people were calling like it was a fire sale.

To top it all off, the U.S. Department of Education had just demanded the university take a $15M line of credit to qualify for the federal financial aid that our students need.

Dr. Frisch and I rolled up our sleeves. We began emergency treatment while simultaneously identifying for root causes and solving problems.

Fast Progress with More to Come for Bastyr University

Within our first eight weeks, Dr. Frisch and I secured a new loan to get the university out of default. A private lender and university supporter provided the university with a new loan. It included terms that cut the interest rate in half, and delay repayment on the principal for six years. This enabled the university to reduce costs and quickly improve its credit.

Next, Dr. Frisch moved into day-to-day oversight of university's business and operations. He worked with university administration to reconcile our books and create pathways out of debt. I connected with university supporters to raise money.

Over the last 10 months, we secured $5.7M in donations, a much-needed lifeline.

To align the university with a realistic financial model, we made the difficult decision about cuts. This includes elimination of programs that were not meeting enrollment goals, and some administrative departments and positions.

Additionally, Bastyr Center for Natural Health moved to our Kenmore campus. The move saves the university more than half-a-million-dollars annually, and it brings clinical supervision and residency back to our flagship location.

What's Next for Bastyr University

We're rebuilding enrollment numbers and this will take time. The good news is that there is renewed interest in Bastyr, and our university's reputation is moving in the right direction.

To support student success, we're lowering the cost of an excellent Bastyr education by refining our programs. This includes our recent roll-out of the 3-Year Naturopathic Medicine Doctorate that lowers cost of living for our students, reduces overall tuition costs, and empowers effective use of financial aid, all while moving NDs to residency. In addition, the university offers several graduate programs in hybrid format. This lowers some costs, and it allows students to continue with income-generating work while they complete degrees.

In the coming academic year, expect less drama, and a few positive announcements.

I remain ever grateful for your support.