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Academic departments and colleges at the University of Arizona could merge or be scrapped entirely under a major shakeup to the institution's structure proposed by UA leaders.

In a memo to the UA community, President Robert Shelton called on the university to make sweeping changes to how it operates its academic, research and outreach programs while also making wholesale changes to how the UA funds itself.

While Shelton wouldn't provide details on what specific changes need to occur or identify programs that could be cut, the push establishes that he is serious about making the university more efficient in the wake of declining state budget support.

"The status quo will no longer work," Shelton wrote in the memo. "Instead, the time has come to take bold action that will radically change the way we operate."

After the UA was asked to cut its budget by nearly $20 million over the summer, Shelton said that attempts to balance the budget by leaving open positions unfilled and making other small moves were inadequate and that the UA needed to adopt a long-term budget plan.

The memo, sent out on Wednesday, is the first step in engaging faculty, staff, students and community members in the process of scrutinizing the entire operation and coming up with ways to improve the UA, Shelton said Thursday.

Various committees already have been formed to look at issues such as increasing the UA's research funding and better allocating tuition revenue, Shelton said. Another option being considered is whether some colleges or departments can combine teaching and advising.

Meanwhile, college deans and department heads have been asked to take a hard look at their offerings and determine whether certain programs can be merged or cut.

As officials work to identify changes to the university's structure or budget, no idea is off limits, Shelton said.

"I don't want to presuppose any outcomes," he said. "I want people to be very open in their thinking and very creative, because what comes out has to make us stronger."

Regardless of the outcome, the changes must occur quickly, as Shelton would like to have new policies set before the next fiscal year begins in July.

The various campus groups assembled to look at overhauling how the UA conducts its business will have about a month to brainstorm.

After that, their ideas will be vetted by members of the Strategic Planning and Budget Advisory Committee, a group that provides input on the UA's overall mission and goals.

Given the varied backgrounds of the group's members — they range from administrators to students to alumni — the advisory committee should be a great forum to air potential solutions and move them forward, said Miranda Joseph, an associate professor who chairs the committee.

"As proposals come out of all these different places, people might not have thought about the implications," Joseph said. "We'll use the diverse membership to examine the proposals before too much work has gone into them."

Shelton's proposal follows similar calls for change by the past two UA presidents, who tried to streamline academic programs only to be met by fierce resistance from various faculty members and students.

While Shelton said he doesn't want the latest proposal to be lumped in with past attempts to change how the UA operates, others on campus have made the connection.

Wanda Howell, a distinguished professor who is the faculty's chief representative to the administration, said the proposal is essentially the same as those tried before.

The only major difference now is that there is a sense of urgency felt by many members of the campus community, Howell said.

"This time it's got to be done," she said. "We are at a point of shrinking support and if you have a reduction in revenue, in order to maintain a good business model, you have to reduce expenses."

While faculty reaction to the memo varied, most didn't appear panicked, Howell said.

"I think there's kind of an anxious optimism, though I can't say that people aren't a little bit nervous," she said.

Shelton's plan may have a shot because so many different members of the campus community are working on the problem, rather than having the appearance that the changes are being made from the top down, said Eugene Sander, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

"I hope that we do such a good, compelling job that everybody will sit down and say that while we may not agree with the changes, we at least understand where they're coming from."