UW–Madison, System face additional budget cut

The following memo was sent to deans and directors from Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell and Provost Paul M. DeLuca Jr. today, Oct. 19:

As you may have read in the news media, Secretary of Administration Huebsch on Friday, Oct. 14 notified the UW System and all other state agencies of their share of a $174.3 million lapse (one-time budget reduction) for the 2011–13 biennium. Although this reduction was required in the 2011–13 biennial budget, distribution of the cut by agency was not known until now. In addition, Secretary Huebsch has directed all state agencies to prepare for a potential lapse of $300 million over the biennium due to the sluggish economy.

The UW System and UW–Madison anticipated shares of these one-time reductions are as follows:

$174.3 million lapse

• UW System: $46.1 million in 2011–12 and $19.6 million in 2012–13

• UW–Madison: $17.3 million in 2011–12 and $7.3 million in 2012–13

$300 million lapse

• UW System: $75 million in 2011–12 and $38.3 million in 2012–13

• UW–Madison: $28.2 million in 2011–12 and $14.4 million in 2012–13

We are working closely with the Department of Administration and UW System administration to gather more definitive information about the budget reductions. That information will be shared with the university community as it becomes available. We also will be developing plans for managing the cuts and minimizing their potential impact on the campus. These cuts will be difficult for us, and we appreciate your patience as we work to protect the quality of our outstanding institution.

As always, we appreciate your efforts on behalf of UW–Madison and the state of Wisconsin. Please let us know if you have questions about the impact these reductions may have on our university, students and state.