The UW-Extension Cooperative Extension division announced a new organizational structure Wednesday to address $3.6 million in budget cuts.
The restructuring initiative, called “nEXT Generation,” attempts to be as cost-effective and efficient as possible within its newly given financial boundaries, according to a UW-Extension release.
Other goals in the proposal include updating technological communications, consolidating administration and creating flexible and accessible scheduling appointments.
UW-Extension Chancellor Cathy Sandeen said in a media conference call that an estimated 80 positions would be cut from the Cooperative Extension division, beginning late 2016.
Cooperative Extension’s relationship to various counties will evolve as well. The division will reward counties proportionate to how much funding they receive to better connect communities and maintain the Wisconsin Idea, Sandeen said in the release.
Sandeen said the division would look carefully at “how we ensure that counties are receiving the level of service according to the investment that they have made.”
The cuts to Cooperative Extension come from a portion of Gov. Scott Walker’s 2015-’17 biennial budget, which resulted in $250 million in cuts to the UW System enacted in July 2015.
Sandeen said she is confident that the new plan is inclusive and collaborative in its attempts to adjust to the new financial budget.
“This process has made it clear that the state of Wisconsin depends on Cooperative Extension, and that the people of Wisconsin see tremendous value in our work,” Sandeen said in the release. “We considered every single piece of input, and the directions we’re announcing reflect many of the ideas we’ve heard.”
