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Two science departments at the UA appear set to merge in what would be the first major campus re- organization as part of a plan announced by officials earlier this year.

Faculty and staff from the University of Arizona's department of chemistry and department of biochemistry and molecular biophysics have given preliminary approval to begin merging into a single academic department, less than a week after a proposal to do so was made public.

Combining the departments, a move leaders estimate could save the UA about $200,000, would represent the first step in an effort by UA President Robert Shelton and Provost Meredith Hay to streamline the UA's research, teaching and operations in the face of declining state support.

After being asked to cut almost $20 million from the UA's budget over the summer, Shelton and Hay announced in September that the entire campus had to rethink how to teach classes, conduct research and serve the state community while also increasing the institution's academic prestige.

They called on faculty, staff and students to submit ideas on how to reorganize, ideas that would be reviewed by a campus committee and then forwarded to the provost.

The proposals were made public only last week, though the proposal to merge the two science departments appears to be nearly a done deal.

It's not clear whether a committee tasked to review the proposals has had ample time to weigh in on the potential chemistry and biochemistry merger or how it fits in with a timeline announced by Hay.

Hay's Web site says that once proposals are reviewed by a subcommittee of the Strategic Planning and Budgetary Advisory Committee, they will be forwarded to Hay and Shelton.

The proposals to merge or move programs around then would head back to departments impacted by them for review and possible approval.

Hay wouldn't comment on Tuesday's announcement of the planned merger or what it means to the ongoing process.

It's possible that this particular proposal was greenlighted because of what officials describe as overwhelming support from the faculty and staff of both departments, as well as the relative ease with which they could combine.

Issues such as how the departments will retain at least some minor form of autonomy and the administrative structure still have to be worked out, but faculty members are strongly behind the proposal, said Mark Smith, the head of the chemistry department and a co-author of the merger proposal.

The two departments already collaborate on a number of research projects and combined would bring in about $16 million in research funding annually, a UA news release said.

The merger could bring greater consistency to teaching the related fields, but most importantly would provide a stronger program that could attract talented students and professors, Smith said.

"In some regards, this merger is about image, about being recognized for how strong we really are," he said. "The whole plan of this merger is not to break anything that we're currently doing, but to make it stronger."

Chemistry has 29 faculty members while biochemistry has 15. When combined, the new department would teach about 650 undergraduates and 210 graduate students.

Smith's proposal estimates the merger will generate $200,000 in one-time savings through reduced administrative and operations costs.

But saving money isn't the primary goal of the merger, and Smith cautioned that staffing levels should remain about the same.

Losing key staffers that support research actually would hurt the department in the long run, Smith said.

The proposals made public last week — which include possibly merging other colleges or creating new ones — come at a time of intense budget scrutiny at the UA.

Officials announced a hiring freeze earlier this month for open positions paid for by state tax dollars or local funds such as tuition.

The freeze, which also called for any expense for more than $50,000 to be reviewed by the provost, was implemented to offset further budget cuts as the state's tax revenues continue to decline.