For the third consecutive year, the University of Wisconsin System has taken another slew of budget cuts, but officials say there were fewer cuts than in the past.

While students were away over the summer, the Wisconsin Legislature signed into law the final draft of the 2005-07 state budget. From that document, the UW System reported a $90 million loss in cuts and reallocations.

In conjunction with the final state budget, the UW Board of Regents approved the 2005-06 budget in July, which raised tuition 6.9 percent for in-state students. The result was a $364 increase in tuition at UW-Madison for both in-state and out-of-state students.

State officials emphasized the fact that the UW System actually received an increase in general-purpose revenue.

“The overall funding for the UW System actually increased,” said Mike Prentiss, communications director for Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau. “There were just certain parts that were reduced and other parts that were increased.” Prentiss added that much of the state’s money goes into health-care programs.

“The state’s budget is a $52 billion document. The largest pot of money that goes up every year is health-care programs … there is a greater need for those services, and those services have become more important,” Prentiss said. “Most of the state budget did not see an increase. The UW System is one of the few areas that did.”

Nonetheless, the state’s general-purpose revenue offering to the UW System is insufficient, according to a number of UW schools and administrators. “We have a slight gain in [general-purpose revenue], but the commitments … for us to meet and sustain this great enterprise are outpacing those increases,” said Doug Bradley, UW System spokesperson. Bradley noted that while Wisconsin residents face greater expenses, the university system is “doing that a thousand times over” when managing thousands of employees.

Legislators said the UW System is not the only state agency that is suffering from a declining economy and rising utility costs.

“You’re pointing out a struggle that every local unit of government faces,” said Rep. David Ward, R-Fort Atkinson.

The UW Board of Regents asked the state for $100 million more in funding in 2004. Bradley said the board was “very adamant” about properly funding student success throughout the system.

However, the UW System did not receive $100 million for this biennium. Instead, the state allotted $12 million.

What universities are doing to absorb the hit

With support for the UW System weakening over the past three years, officials question how soon it will be until the instructional elements of Wisconsin’s universities face major impacts.

“Obviously, we’re very concerned about the declining tax support. This is a place where the state ought to be making investments,” said UW-Madison Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell.

The state has asked UW-Madison to reduce spending by $30 million over the next two years.

Bazzell said this included the loss of a minimum of 80 positions across campus. However, UW-Madison administrators have made it clear they do not want to touch the university’s instructional functions.

“The things we’ve asked people not to touch are research, student services and teaching services,” Bazzell said. “We have asked that no faculty positions be cut. … Beyond those things, everything else is fair game.”

Bazzell noted this year’s loss is not as heavy as in previous years. In the last two-year funding period, UW-Madison cut $38.5 million, which included the loss of 250 positions and 300 course offerings.

In addition to the general cuts issued by the state, the final budget orders a $1 million cut from UW-Madison administration.

“It was just a reflection of a number of factors that the UW-Madison campus has been having some very serious personnel problems,” Prentiss said. Those “very serious problems” are the Paul Barrows issue and other recent matters. “This is retribution,” Bradley said. “It’s kind of sad, when you think about it.”

While the state and UW System would like to see more money put toward higher education, Ward noted that recent inflammatory headlines upset people and inhibited spending.

The $90 million cut also has other Wisconsin state schools scrambling to make ends meet.

UW-Milwaukee has been asked to deal with a $13.9 million cut over the next two years.

“It’s a big one,” said UWM Business and Financial Services Director Andy Richards.

Richards said his university, like most other Wisconsin campuses, would try to deal with the budget cuts without affecting instructional and student services.

Rather, the focus will be on administrative positions and reorganization.

“Some of the cuts we are taking are assistant and associate deans. We are cutting directors and assistant directors,” Richards said.

Some cut positions, such as a librarian and a bursar, will affect students. Richards noted that the university would work to make the position loss “as transparent as possible” to students seeking services.

Despite reducing a total of 28 positions, UWM has not decided how to accommodate for the remaining cuts.

“There’s a little over a million dollars we don’t have a plan for because we need to engage the faculty and students to figure out what we’re going to do,” Richards said. “It’s going to be really hard to give them [a quality university] with the resources they’ve now left us with.”

Similarly, UW-Eau Claire has been asked to handle a $2.2 million loss.

“We’re really trying to protect the instructional side of the house, partly because that’s what we’re trying to do, and that’s what the governor directed,” UWEC Vice Chancellor of Business and Student Services Andrew Soll said. “As we get into the second phase, we expect more impact on instructional areas.”

Though the reductions are lower than in previous years, UWEC and others have cited the cumulative effects of losses as a hindrance to higher education.

“In the last few years, we have seen something similar. Yes, it’s a substantial amount,” Soll said. “Our cumulative reductions were $4.9 million last biennium. For this biennium, we’re looking at $4.1 million. The cumulative effect of these [cuts] is significant.”

UW-Green Bay Director of Marketing and Media Relations Scott Hildebrand said his university was asked take a $1 million cut for the next biennium.

“Unfortunately, the last two biennia have been a reality, and I don’t want to say, “Get used to it,’ but it has been a reality for a few years now,” Hildebrand said.

According to Hildebrand, UW-Green Bay will attempt to absorb cuts at the administrative level. Already officials have removed an internal auditing position, saving $57,000, and a financial specialist position, saving $35,000.

Additionally, the university has removed an associate dean position in the graduate program, saving $58,000, as well as some graduate assistantships.

“And that’s at a time when we’re trying to grow our graduate program,” Hildebrand said. “That certainly goes in the wrong direction as far as our long-term goal is. That’s not exactly good news when you’re trying to grow the program.”

Hildebrand said libraries have been forced to stay open for shorter periods.

Students, administrators and faculty at UW-La Crosse also took a hit with the most recent budget cuts. UWL has been asked to cut $1.7 million. In the past two biennia alone, La Crosse has lost $4.5 million total.

According to an e-mail from UWL Chancellor Douglas N. Hastad, the methods by which UWL will attack the cuts varies. Some changes include restructuring administrative services in the provost’s office, saving $149,046, and reorganizing and integrating several other administrative assignments, which will save a total of $787,155.

“There is little doubt that this budget cut is hurtful for the entire campus and agonizingly painful for certain campus constituents,” Hastad said in the e-mail. “I am confident that, in the long term, we will evolve from this loss of resources and attendant administrative restructuring.”