Motivated by budget constraints, the Wisconsin Board of Regents approved major changes to the UW System Thursday, taking some of the power the board previously had and giving it to individual campuses.
Some of the changes include shifting the responsibility for reviewing academic programs and controlling position descriptions from the UW System administration to campus administration, lessening audits of campus programs and giving chancellors more authority with the Board of Regents.
Many regents said by making the changes they did, they were embracing the flexibilities granted to them in the two-year state budget.
Charles Pruitt, chair of the committee that led the reform, said the changes aim to reduce the system's administration budget by $2.4 million as mandated in the state budget, and reshape the relationship between individual campuses and the UW system.
UW System President Kevin P. Reilly said in order to eliminate the 51 administrative positions required in the state budget, he plans to cut 8 jobs and leave other already empty positions vacant.
Pruitt said while the old model for the system worked while it was in operation, the changing political and economic climate in Wisconsin forced the regents to consider alternatives.
""While the current model has served us well over the years, the challenges we now face will require change on the part of all institutions,"" Pruitt said.
Although the proposed changes passed unanimously, several Regents warned the board to keep a watchful eye on the new system.
Regent José Vásquez said the board needs to be careful to stay involved with the decisions individual campuses make.
""I think we need to ensure that the role of this governing body does not get to the point where it is perceived as simply rubberstamping,"" Vásquez said.
State Superintendent Tony Evers said although he agrees changes to the system need to be made, the decentralization of other academic governing boards, such as Milwaukee Public Schools, has gone awry.
""We need to go into this with our eyes wide open,"" Evers said, ""I've witnessed in my arena of work that decentralization can lead to bad results.""
