As of Wednesday, the College of Fine Arts is one of several programs contained within the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.

About half of the undergraduate students at the University of Arizona will now be a part of the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. The large college encompasses the colleges of Science, Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences and University College.

Vice president of external relations Steve McCarthy said although this was originally part of the UA Transformation process, it now is intertwined with the recent budget cuts the university is facing. He said that the merging of the colleges is a way to streamline the efficiency of the university while saving money.

“”The whole consolidation of these collegesð ððwhich started with Humanities and Sciences and now includes Fine Artsð should realize a savings of several million dollars,”” McCarthy said. “”The university as a whole is looking at what programs we can offer in the current budget climate, that is a challenge that all of the colleges are having to grapple with.””

According to McCarthy, the merger will not cause program cuts or staff reductions; however, those aspects will be affected by the budget cuts. McCarthy also said that students will benefit from the “”partnership.””

“”I think for the most part this change will be transparent to students. They will continue to get advising,”” McCarthy said. “”They should have, in some ways, some increased opportunities because of some of the ease that will result in partnerships for programs across the various colleges involved.””