Chancellor Rebecca Blank notified employees today that UW–Madison will be implementing additional expense reductions, including employee furloughs, in response to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on university finances. The cost-saving measures include campus-wide furloughs, leadership pay cuts, a Work-Share program, position-specific furloughs, and possible reassignments. The largest financial contributions will come from campus leadership and the highest earners. These steps will take effect no earlier than May 15 and continue through October 31, 2020.

These short-term actions are estimated to save up to $30 million toward the more than $100 million shortfall the university is facing. These steps follow other actions that have already been taken to control costs, including canceling new investments, freezing travel, making changes to infrastructure projects, redoubling efforts to enroll a strong freshman class, and more.

The chancellor stressed that protecting the health and safety of our community is the university’s first priority. She expressed gratitude to all UW-Madison employees for their important role in the campus response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a special thank you to those working onsite in essential capacities to preserve campus operations. The full text of the chancellor’s message can be viewed online and has been translated into multiple languages.

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