University of Wisconsin-Superior is in the midst of negotiations with UW-Eau Claire over sharing specific services in an attempt to mitigate potential cuts included in Gov. Scott Walker’s biennial budget.
Both UW-Superior and UW-Eau Claire have faced financial trouble and budget cuts in recent years, UW-Superior spokesperson Lynne Williams said. Williams said this makes it harder to plan for cuts at UW-Superior because they have already had to make significant cuts.
Last year, UW-Superior was forced to shift to private, non-university providers for the bookstore, grounds and custodial services, Williams said. She said the campus also centralized a variety of services.
“A further cut means positions and it means programs,” Williams said.
Williams said the current negotiations between UW-Eau Claire and UW-Superior are regarding an open human resources director position. If the negotiations were to go through, 50 percent of UW-Eau Claire’s human resources director would also go to support UW-Superior’s campus, Williams said.
Williams said the two campuses are still working toward a final agreement.
This solution is in response to UW System President Ray Cross’ suggestion that campuses be creative in the ways they work to address the budget challenges, Williams said. Sharing services with UW-Eau Claire avoids cutting services to students further, she said.
This is a way other campuses can also work to mitigate cuts, Williams said, adding the importance of campuses within the system working together to overcome future financial difficulties.
“How can we share services?” Williams said. “We’re all within a system, so how do we work together more like a system?”
Williams said working together between campuses should improve services to students and keep the core of the UW System strong.
UW-Barron County Dean Yohnk said the UW two-year transfer colleges are also looking into sharing some services like library and admissions services.
He said sharing services between the colleges is just one way to make up for the cuts and the campuses will still be hit hard. He said it is important though that the colleges work together as a system when campuses are hit hard like they are now.
However, according to UW education policy professor Sara Goldrick-Rab, sharing facilities at UW-Madison with other campuses would probably not completely make up for the current cuts proposed by Walker.
“Sharing facilities and services may bring some financial benefits, but they are very unlikely to generate enough savings to mitigate these cuts,” Goldrick-Rab said in an email.
Goldrick-Rab said more analysis on the part of the system and the campus is needed to be sure how the cuts will affect UW-Madison and how system officials should plan to handle them in the coming months.
She said sharing facilities might not be the best way to keep the quality of education strong between the campuses.
“Most importantly we need to know if these are cost-effective changes that will enhance the educational mission of the institutions,” Goldrick-Rab said.
