Small changes could help UW-Madison save $8.5M

MADISON, Wis. — A new report says the University of Wisconsin-Madison can save up to $8.5 million just by making small changes.

The university hired the Huron Consulting Group to look for areas of efficiency. A Wisconsin State Journal report (http://bit.ly/vBtvXV ) says the consultants found a number of areas where services or expenses could be consolidated to save money.

For example, Huron said this week that UW-Madison uses more than 70 email systems. It suggests consolidating the systems or perhaps moving to third-party providers. The group says that could save between $250,000 and $1 million.

Other suggested ways to save money include:

Ÿ Standardizing computer purchases, which could save $300,000 to $500,000

Ÿ Consolidate servers and data centers, which could save up to $5 million

Ÿ Use instructional space more efficiently.