Campus to absorb state job cuts

It is still too soon to say how the elimination of the 220 jobs throughout the UW System will affect UW–Madison, says John Torphy, vice chancellor for administration.

Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary George Lightbourn announced the elimination of approximately 900 state jobs Feb. 19. The 220 jobs at UW System make up the largest cut of any state agency.

Torphy says there appears to be no need for layoffs.

“We will make every effort to cut only positions that are currently vacant or for which initial funding was anticipated in the 2003 fiscal year, which begins in July,” Torphy says.

The outlook for UW–Madison will become more clear when the state completes its work on the projected $1.1 billion budget deficit. That is when the Board of Regents will decide how budget and job cuts are divided among UW System campuses.