Course eradication, class-size increase and elimination of instructional and non-instructional staff are among the measures UW-Madison will likely take to deal with unprecedented budget cuts proposed by Gov. Jim Doyle last month, UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley told a grim UW System Board of Regents Thursday.
Wiley said UW-Madison has dealt with budget cuts over the past 10 years, each time digging into administrative costs most, but touching on other areas as well.
\In the last 10 years we have already eliminated 47 degree programs,"" Wiley told the regents. ""During that time we've added 14 degree programs, but they don't come anywhere near what has been eliminated.""
Today, Wiley said he foresees the cuts again digging first into administrative costs. Secondly, he said UW-Madison would continue to leave vacant many open instructional positions or eliminate positions in that area ""thereby increasing class size."" The next measure would be to enlist a similar policy for non-instructional positions, which account for less of the university's overall budget.
Ultimately, however, Wiley said students will likely see the effects of budget cuts when they enroll next semester.
""We will have to eliminate more than 100 courses,"" he said, while assuring the regents that these classes would not be ones necessary to fulfill major requirements.
Furthermore, it is probable that UW-Madison students can expect to see cutbacks in student support services, like advising and career services, and decreases in equipment expenditures such as the purchase of new computers.
Wiley's announcement came during a tense session during which the regents discussed strategies they might take to tackle the fiscal difficulties ahead.
""This is not going to be easy,"" Regent Jay Smith said. ""It's going to be painful.""
Potential tuition increases were at the top of the agenda with UW System President Katharine Lyall and many regents supporting an increase of $350 per semester, the maximum allowed in Doyle's proposal, for resident students.
""If we don't have these tuition increases to offset the cuts proposed, we will have to reduce capacity,"" Regent Jonathan Barry said, also noting that otherwise the board would create a ""recipe for mediocrity.""
Wiley joined many regents who expressed their reluctance to increase non-resident tuition citing the fact that non-resident tuition is already the second highest in the Big Ten. Furthermore, Wiley told the board that UW-Madison lost $2.7 million this year because many out-of-state students chose not to return in light of stark tuition increases.
""I frankly would deplore any increase in non-resident tuition,"" Regent Vice President Toby Marcovich said. ""We've reached the point of diminishing returns and we need to keep our non-resident enrollment up.""
Many regents expressed concerns about maintaining quality in a system with diminishing resources, agreeing that a long-term vision for the system is necessary to maintain the level of expectation that has long been associated with the system.
""It's hitting home that we are in crisis,"" Regent Elizabeth Burmaster said. ""The only way to get through crisis is to have a sense of vision that things will get better.""
Furthermore, Burmaster said the board should facilitate dialogue with legislators and the governor to ensure that education remains a long-term priority of the state.
Smith expressed similar sentiments.
""Our major partner here [the state] is spinning us off,"" he said.
