UW-Madison will likely bear 40 percent of the projected $6.9 million budget cut to the UW System announced Thursday by Gov. Jim Doyle, according to John Torphy, vice chancellor of administration at UW-Madison.
Per Doyle's request, the cuts must be limited to administrative, not research or instructional, costs.
\We're going to have to look at things like travel and administration and advertising and publications and at positions in the administrative area that we may have to determine that we're not going to be able to fill at this time,"" Torphy said.
In November, the UW System conducted a budget reduction exercise revealing that a 5 percent budget cut, like Doyle projected, could result in enrollment cuts of 7,816 students and layoffs of 968 faculty and staff.
""I haven't heard any discussions of laying off immediately at this, but we ... may initiate some actions in the next couple of weeks or in the next month which would involve eliminating programs and may or may not involve layoffs depending on people's bumping rights and what other things they can do,"" Torphy said.
Despite the fact that the budget exercise did not anticipate Doyle's restrictions, UW System President Katharine Lyall said in November that she felt enrollment reductions would be inevitable.
""We did not reduce enrollments despite this year's $44 million cut, but I believe we cannot do that again,"" she said.
According to Erik Christianson, spokesperson for the UW System, traditionally the state provides two thirds of the university's costs, but that number has continually declined over the past few years.
""We've taken approximately $100 million in cuts over the last decade,"" he said.
In anticipation of budget difficulties this year, Torphy said UW-Madison administrators ""have been in the process of deferring expenditures, deferring hiring and other things."" But the budget issues arose earlier than expected.
""This just means we're going to have to take action a little earlier than we would have otherwise,"" he said.
However, many questions loom for UW-Madison's financial future.
""We'll have to see what the governor's budget is Feb. 18,"" Torphy said. ""He may have directions on that or what he does or doesn't want done and how big the cut would be.""
Furthermore, Torphy said, the UW System may have priorities of its own.
