UW-Milwaukee Plans To Cut $41M From Budget

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is moving forward with plans to cut more than $41 million from its budget by 2019.

The campus is facing a $38 million deficit due to $45 million in cuts to annual state funding since 2013 and declines in enrollment and corresponding tuition revenue since 2010.

To close its budget gap, UW-Milwaukee officials plan to reduce administrative staff, restructure academic programs and shed half of its open staff positions in the next fiscal year, according to a plan released by the chancellor’s office this week. Vacant staff position the school retains will have to be held open for three to six months.

“We will be looking at every single vacancy across the institution and deciding what is most critical to hire at this time and what can potentially be eliminated,” said Robin Van Harpen, UWM’s vice chancellor of finance and academic affairs.

The school will also shed half of its open staff positions in the next fiscal year.

Robin Van Harpen, the school’s vice chancellor for finance and administrative affairs, said the next stop for the school will be figuring out how to streamline its academic offerings.

“The provost is going to be working with the deans and schools and colleges and figuring out what the best process is moving forward. That was not intended to be a very short-term project, but something that will take a little bit more time,” said Van Harpen.

UWM has already eliminated the equivalent of more than 200 full-time staff positions since October 2014, which has helped save the school roughly $15 million.

More details about the plan are expected at an open budget meeting April 18.