UW cuts jobs from athletic department

SEATTLE — The University of Washington’s athletic department continues to shrink.

For the second time in less than two weeks, the school announced budget cuts within its athletic department on Tuesday. According to a press release sent out by UW’s athletic department, the school will save about $1.6 million after a move that will “reduce its payforce and streamline its operations.” The release did not specify which jobs were cut.

UW announced earlier this month that it planned to cut $2.8 million from the annual budget, due in part to the nation’s economy. About $1.2 million was freed up when the school decided to cut both the men’s and women’s swimming programs on May 1. The latest move is expected to free up $600,000 in staff reduction and another $1 million in, according to the release, “various across-the-board reductions in the department’s sports and administrative operating budget as well as various revenue generating initiatives.”

In the press release, Huskies athletic director Scott Woodward was quoted as saying: “It is extremely difficult to affect the lives of dozens of our employees and student-athletes in such a dramatic way. Last week’s decision regarding our swimming program, coupled with today’s announcement of job layoffs, impacts a lot of people, and I wish we were not in this situation.”