Provost statement on hiring freeze

Here is a statement from UW–Madison Provost Peter Spear regarding a UW System hiring freeze:

“UW System President Katharine Lyall’s decision to freeze hiring at campuses to address potential cuts in the university’s operating budget formalizes a policy that has existed at UW–Madison for several weeks.

“President Lyall has directed campus administrators to fill only those positions deemed essential to meeting each campus’s primary mission. At UW–Madison, that means continuing to fill only those positions that directly impact instruction and essential student services.

“Deans, directors and other administrators will continue to carefully analyze each vacancy and determine whether it is essential to educating our students. That policy already has kept many positions vacant that otherwise would be filled. For example, in my office, there are two vacant assistant vice chancellor positions and one vacant associate vice chancellor position that we will not fill at this time, even though those positions are key to advancing some of the priorities laid out in the university’s strategic plan.

“In any given year there are a number of positions that become vacant through retirement or someone leaving the university. These may occur in small departments or programs or may involve personnel who are highly specialized and critical to department operations. These may be a priority for us to fill. In addition, most ongoing searches to fill vacant faculty lines will continue.

“This policy will remain in effect until the budget situation clarifies, at which time we will re-evaluate the policy based on our budget projections for next year.”