Citizen Staff Writer
RENÉE SCHAFER HORTON
rshorton@tucsoncitizen.com
The University of Arizona has been reluctant to address specifically how much money this year’s massive campus reorganization would save, but Thursday at the Arizona Board of Regents meeting, the number was clear: $6 million.
The amount was detailed in a presentation on UA’s Academic Strategic Plan by Provost Meredith Hay.
Hay was joined by the provosts from Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University in reviewing for regents major campus academic changes.
Regents unanimously approved all three plans with no comments or questions.
Hay said “no rock was left unturned” during the shake-up at UA, which resulted in closing numerous underenrolled majors, creating the Colleges of Arts, Letters and Sciences and mergers of various departments.
The estimated savings are expected to come from consolidation of administrative and business functions in merged colleges and departments, as well as layoffs of employees in certain areas.
According to documents presented to regents, staff layoffs are expected in the colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Engineering, Humanities, Science and University College, which is being eliminated. Further savings will be realized by using fewer adjuncts in the colleges of Science and Education, according to the report.