Wayne State Provost Ron Brown addressed what he called “administrative bloat” at the April 6 Academic Senate meeting.

“There are certain things the faculty have not been happy with and the Senate has not been happy with,” he said.

Several faculty members, including Faculty Union President Charles Parrish and Academic Senate President Seymour Wolfson, have stated they feel WSU spends too much on administration.

Brown said WSU President Allan Gilmour hired the Huron Consulting Group, a management consulting firm specializing in cost reduction, to evaluate the administrative side of the university’s budget and suggest changes to improve efficiency.

Gilmour said Huron thinks there is “quite a lot of potential for administrative cuts.”

“In any part of this university, we can do more things more efficiently than we’ve done,” he said.

Brown said administrative changes may include replacing people who “are not really carrying their load,” eliminating administrative positions or, more likely, using technology to increase efficiency.

Brown joked about WSU’s outdated reliance on paper-and-pencil, saying signing so many forms is “kind of nostalgic.”

“We may be able to become more efficient with automation, and we are going to be very receptive and implement the majority of recommendations they put forth,” he said, referring to Huron.

Brown said Huron will “leave no stone unturned” in investigating WSU’s administration.

The Blue Ribbon Committee on Budget Cuts is also looking into administrative efficiency and making “some very solid recommendations,” Brown said.

After all of the recommendations are compiled, Brown said, they will be presented to Gilmour and his Advisory Budget Committee for analysis.

Brown said the changes made will depend on Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s final budget. He does not expect a definitive plan until the end of the summer.

Brown praised Gilmour’s dedication to the academic mission and expressed his confidence in Gilmour’s leadership through the coming months.

“We are working on this together, and we will be more efficient when we come out,” Brown said.