UWM chancellor says expected budget cuts could mean students taking longer to graduate

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone was the speaker at a Milwaukee Press Club luncheon on Wednesday, April 15th, and he talked about the expected cuts in the state budget and how they are going to affect the university.

Governor Scott Walker's budget proposal includes slashing the UW System’s budget by $300 million, freezing tuition for two years and decoupling the system from state oversight. He says he says the UW System will gain more autonomy and flexibility.

"It's harder to keep the graduation rates up when you are dealing with budgetary cuts. Larger class sizes could be anticipated. I think you already jumped to that -- potentially fewer classes and programs and it may take longer for students to graduate," Mone said.

To offset these expected budget cuts, UWM has proposed raising tuition for out-of-state graduate and undergraduate students by two-and-a-half percent.

Earlier this week, UWM announced it will offer a "voluntary separation" incentive to some employees.