UW-Madison announced Thursday university officials are considering creating a College of the Arts.
The college, which would be financed by existing departmental funds, would consist of the existing School of Music and the departments of art history, theatre and drama and design studies.
If the departments were to remain the same size, it would sustain 1,192 students, 118 faculty members and 349 graduate students.
Norma Saldivar, Executive Producer of the Arts Institute and Professor of Theatre and Drama, said reorganizing the departments would not cost any additional money and the dean of the school could oversee funding to ensure resources are used in the most efficient way.
The initiative of the college would be to "[provide] a meaningful discussion of the merits, challenges, and opportunities for a more unified approach to research, practice, and performance in the arts," according to the College of the Arts website.
Saldivar said students would benefit from consolidating the departments.
"It's going to serve our students in a stronger way," Saldivar said. "We also think it will give prospective students a chance to find the arts more readily than they have in the past."
Saldivar said that with Chancellor Ward asking the campus to be innovative with education to more efficiently allocate resources it is "an opportune time for us to have this conversation."
The Arts Institute executive committee is holding town halls, beginning Feb. 20 to seek input on the college from members of the UW-Madison community.
