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The University of Wyoming Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a budget reduction plan that will eliminate 57 academic and 23 nonacademic positions.
The plan accounts for a $42.3 million budget reduction over two years, caused by a 10 percent cut to state funding.
In addition to eliminating 80 jobs, the university will require academic departments to reduce their support budgets -- including travel and professional development -- and operations budgets, according to a press release. Housing, dining, catering and conferences will be “reorganized for greater efficiency and productivity.” The athletics department will reduce employee salaries and travel expenses. The provost’s office will eliminate 35 graduate teaching assistant positions and reduce travel spending.
The university is considering more than a dozen programs for potential consolidation, reduction or elimination, including programs within the College of Business and the College of Health Sciences.
A handful of programs are on the chopping block, including the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and minor in American studies; the master of arts in psychology; the bachelor of science in journalism; the master of science in teaching in chemistry; the master of arts in teaching in history; the bachelor’s program in secondary French, German and Spanish education; the master of fine arts program in creative writing; and the military justice/Judge Advocate General’s Corps track and the Summer Trial Institute.
“We know that elimination of some programs will be necessary to effectively pivot the university through shared governance processes toward a new vision that will enable us to become a best-in-class 21st century land-grant university true to its Wyoming roots,” President Ed Seidel said in a statement. “We are committed collectively to making decisions to prioritize specific programs for growth; others for elimination or consolidation; and creating new programs that may be needed to realize our common goals.”
