The University of Saskatchewan has taken another step in completing their budget-cutting program, TransformUS.
University president, Ilene Busch-Vishniac announced Tuesday that two task forces have been created that will be responsible for reviewing the university’s operating budget against the programs and services offered by the institution.
The task forces are part of the TransformUS program that’s responsible for finding ways to make up a projected $44.5 million deficit by 2016.
One task force will set criteria and review academic programs, while the second will set criteria and review the university’s administrative support programs.
University administration received 250 nominations for the two task forces. “A broad cross-section of the campus community was represented in the nominations, with a variety in faculty, staff and students from several different colleges and units. This broad representation has been reflected in the chosen membership of each task force,” Busch-Vishniac said in a release Tuesday.
The academic program transformation task force is composed of 21 people, including one undergrad and several professors and associate professors. The support service transformation task force has 25 members, including two students of different academic levels, as well as a mix of professors, program directors, and other administrative heads from within the school.
The task forces are responsible for submitting a report to the university at the end of November. The reports will rank programs and activities priorities according to criteria set by the task forces.
Using these priority rankings, university government will start making decisions about funding changes in early 2014.
TransformUS is targeting to save $20 to $25 million annually once fully implemented.
