Gov. Scott McCallum's proposed $50.5 million reduction to the UW System budget was a focal point of Thursday's UW System Board of Regents meeting. Attendees stressed the system's need to protect students while following through with the suggested reductions.
Board of Regents President Jay Smith noted it will be necessary to \find some balance"" between budget cuts and educational quality.
""Any further cuts would be a disaster to the university or the state,"" Smith said.
Pending approval of the budget, tuition increases are also likely. McCallum's proposed budget allows regents to raise resident tuition by a maximum of 10 percent, a move that would provide the system with $9 million more in economic-stimulus-package funding. Right now, UW System education ""remains affordable,"" with tuition 17 percent below the national average of other four-year universities, according to UW System President Katharine Lyall.
The proposed budget cuts necessitate ""changed and streamlined"" procedures within the UW System, she added.
Lyall described measures already taken in order to begin compliance with cuts. Among these were the elimination of funding earmarked for smaller freshman and sophomore spring classes at UW-Madison, delaying of appointments for administrative vacancies at UW-Milwaukee and in system administration, and the postponement of improvements to financial aid staff at all UW institutions.
Future considerations include extending winter break to save energy costs and slowing approval of new university programs.
Lyall said these changes would mean longer administrative delays and larger classes for students, while faculty would have to cope with an increased workload. Lyall asked for ""patience and understanding"" from everyone affected.
Although these belt-tightening measures set a frugal tone to subsequent discussions, members cited concern for student welfare at the UW schools.
Regent Phyllis Krutsch said the board recognized ""affordability, access and quality"" as important issues for students, a sentiment verified by members' responsiveness to student responses in the UW System's annual Accountability Report.
""We should not take the good performance of our institutions for granted,"" Lyall said.
While students reported that the UW System instructs them well in critical thinking and offers adequate academic support, they cited a dissatisfaction with advising quality at the schools and a lack of education in functioning within a global community.
This global education issue led to a discussion on study-abroad initiatives. The goal is for 25 percent of system students to travel abroad during their time at the university; the figure presently stands at 8.2 percent, up from 6.6 percent last year.
The two-day Board of Regents meeting will conclude this morning.
