The UW System is not immune to the financial struggles the country is going through. As the state is forced to continue to make cuts to their budget, less funding is available for System and state universities are being asked to be more financially efficient.

On Nov. 26, System President Kevin Reilly announced that System institutions would have to take a closer look at their out-of-state travel expenses and look at other ways to, “streamline and enhance educational offerings.”

“Our first obligation is to produce college-educated citizens who are prepared to succeed in the innovation economy,” Reilly said in a news release Nov. 26. “Wisconsin’s current shortage of residents with four-year degrees puts us at a disadvantage, leaving per-capita income here behind Minnesota’s and that of other higher-performing states.”

Chancellors of state universities are being asked to monitor and approve out-of-state travel funded by state tax dollars or tuition; they will determine if the trip is essential. System employees are also being asked to look at video conferences and other technological opportunities to save travel money.

“While remaining focused on the state’s critical educational needs, we must do our part to help balance the state budget. By preserving our capacity to enroll and educate students, we set the stage for a more rapid recovery. We should keep in mind that today’s college freshmen will be completing their degrees at a time when we hope the state has emerged from this economic slump,” Reilly said.

Reilly also announced that System will be looking at creating a three-year degree at select System campuses that would utilize more advanced placement courses, online classes and summer study.

“We will consider a new degree structure that makes better use of independent learning and other strategies that might significantly shorten the time required,” Reilly said. “In that scenario, both the university and the student save money. I will ask a group of faculty and academic leaders to examine how such an approach could preserve the content and quality of a UW degree within a shortened time frame.”

System is also asking universities to look at programs with low-enrollment and re-evaluate for the programs could be reshaped to maximize resources and support workforce needs from state businesses.

“We must consider ways that UW System campuses might retool for a changing marketplace. Other Wisconsin organizations are being forced to adapt to an evolving global economy. Our university is not immune from that pressure,” Reilly said.

“At this stage, we face an uncertain future. The state has never needed its public university more, and it has never been more challenged to sustain its support for this vital enterprise,” Reilly said.