Students registering for spring semester courses may notice changes on the timetable, changes administrators say stem partly from faculty reductions in response to budget cuts.
In one example of the budget cuts, the College of Letters and Sciences has experienced approximately a 10-percent reduction in course offerings, said Letters and Sciences Dean Phillip Certain. Though some courses, particularly elective and specialty ones, may no longer be offered, administrators say they have tried to protect introductory and required courses and students should not face many difficulties in fulfilling requirements as a result of these changes.
\We made every effort in the budget cuts ... to limit the impact on students, on the courses that are offered, on student services such as advising,"" UW-Madison Provost Peter Spear said. ""I think you'll see that there are fewer impacts on courses on the timetable on courses offered than the proportion of the cuts.""
Spear said the specific changes in course offerings were under the control of the deans of the schools and colleges.
Richard Barrows, associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said CALS is dealing with the cuts by not hiring new faculty and staff. He said there has been little immediate effect on course offerings, but cuts could result in fewer courses in the future.
Certain said university administrators told the College of Letters and Sciences it had to reduce its budget by $6 million. Because the college had less money to hire faculty and teaching assistants, it has had to reduce its approximately 2,000-course menu by about 200 courses. Certain said the departments within the college were given license to choose how they would cut costs.
""We did the same thing to the departments as the campus administration did to us,"" Certain said. ""We told the departments they need to reduce their budget and then they decided how they would do it.""
John Wright, chair of the chemistry department, said the department has tried to maintain the same course offerings as much as possible, particularly courses important for the major or for entering or graduating students.
""A key principle has been, 'Don't do anything that will slow time to graduation for the students',"" Spear said.
