UW-Madison’s strong tenure policy, combined with its relatively healthy financial situation, means faculty layoffs at the flagship campus would be unlikely, Radomski [executive director of the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education] said. But at smaller UW campuses where declining enrollment has magnified the impact of state budget cuts, such as UW-Milwaukee, he said administrators could use weaker tenure policies to close programs and fire professors.

“The new uncertainty, and the new concern, is going to be: Are the enrollment and the fiscal problems going to trigger program discontinuation, and therefore trigger faculty layoffs?” Radomski said.

Via UW Regents set for vote on new faculty tenure policies @ madison.com.