Campuses across the UW System are cutting dozens of positions and resorting to larger class sizes to deal with state budget cuts, according to a new UW System report.
The report, released yesterday, comes after UW System President Ray Cross nixed an idea for chancellors to present the impact of the cuts at last week’s Board of Regents meeting. The report presents brief highlights of the effects the $250 million in cuts from the latest state budget have had.
UW-Eau Claire, for example, has cut 179 full-time positions, about half of those through a voluntary separation program. Twenty-five faculty have resigned, up 150 percent from last year, and class sizes are 14 percent larger on average.
It’s a similar tale at other UW campuses, with some such as UW-Green Bay and UW-La Crosse cutting some databases and other resources that students can access for research.
UW-Madison, which has spent almost $9 million on keeping faculty, expects to cut 418 positions over the biennium. And it says its cash reserves have dropped to enough money to operate them for a week at most, far less than the usual private sector level of three or four months.
The flagship campus said it’s been unable to expand programs with high student demand, such as business, engineering and nursing. It also said it’s cut back significantly on advising services and maintenance, as did other campuses. UW-Platteville is also delaying major renovation projects at buildings that it says are significantly outdated.
See the report:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/czlme5v86gbs8md/April%20Campus%20Budget%20Update.pdf?dl=0
See a WisBusiness.com story last month on faculty departures rising at UW:
http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=366623
— By Polo Rocha,
WisBusiness.com
