Not all departments are facing the same constraints—for example, four new faculty searches have been authorized in the history department, in addition to another three in economics.But in several small departments, perennial problems such as the loss of faculty to other institutions and faculty retirement still have not been relieved by continued hiring.

For example, the Classics department has yet to receive an authorization for a new tenure-track position even though two junior faculty have left since the financial crisis.Increased oversight over department budgets has been a major result of the fiscal downturn, as department administrators and FAS deans work together to navigate the existing constraints.

One administrator, who also asked to remain anonymous due to the confidential nature of the budgeting process, said that her department was asked to justify each and every part of the budget when the financial crisis first hit.

Some departments have not been able to procure visiting faculty—usually an important resource when permanent hires cannot be made.Other areas of spending have fallen victim to hard times as well. According to Classics department administrator Teresa Wu, the number of department-sponsored lectures has also dropped.

The consequence of this new oversight is a tighter, more efficient allocation of resources, administrators said.“It’s made the faculty aware of what can reasonably be expected,” Hatch said.

—Staff writer Radhika Jain can be reached at radhikajain@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Kevin J. Wu can be reached at kwu@college.harvard.edu.