Several UW Law School employees, including the director of the school’s public defender training clinic, have been laid off in response to mandatory university-wide budget cuts.
“None of us wanted to make layoffs or reduce hours but, given that the vast majority of our [general] revenue goes towards salary, there was unfortunately no way of avoiding that,” UW Law Dean Dan Tokaji wrote in an Aug. 7 email to all staff and faculty. “We have notified those who will be most directly affected by those cuts, and do not anticipate that further cuts of this nature will be necessary in the coming academic year.”
Greg Bump, UW-Madison assistant director of media relations, says in an email that he does “not have” the exact number of layoffs but suggested that Isthmus file a public records request for the number.
Tokaji wrote that the actions were necessitated by an order in June from UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin directing the university’s schools and colleges to cut 5% of their budgets for the coming fiscal year. Mnookin cited federal “uncertainty and risks” in directing the cuts. University officials have instructed division heads that layoffs are meant to be a “last resort.”
The law school is also cutting funds for supplies and other expenses, including travel, catering and library acquisitions, according to Tokaji’s email.