Wisconsin announces over two dozen athletic employees to take significant pay cut
More than two dozen University of Wisconsin athletic staff members will see a reduction in pay over the next six months in an effort to combat the ongoing financial losses due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The school released a statement on Saturday morning saying the 25 athletic staff members will see a reduction in pay in the coming months. The highest-earning coaches and staff members will see a 15-percent cut in salary over the next six months.
Head football coach Paul Chryst, head men’s basketball coach Greg Gard and athletic director Barry Alvarez will all see a 15-percent slash in pay during that time frame.
“Reducing compensation and work hours is obviously not something I want to see for any of our Badger Athletics family,” Alvarez said. “But we are facing the same financial challenges that other organizations across the country are. We are working hard to minimize the impact on our employees while responding to the realities of the situation created by the pandemic.
“I greatly appreciate our highest earners’ willingness to consider voluntarily accepting a temporary reduction in pay, as well as the rest of our staff who are sharing in this exercise by reducing their hours to help us navigate our way through these unprecedented times.”
The plan will tentatively go into effect on May 18 and continue through July 25, per the release.
Wisconsin is the latest institution to implement pay cuts to members of the athletic staff. Other schools in the B1G, and across the country, have taken similar measures.