Madison, Wis. – Every state budget debate produces winners and losers among the politicians – Democrat and Republican, executive and legislative. It’s just as certain that some policies prevail over others, and some stakeholders fare better than others.
Winner: The University of Wisconsin System. The folks in Van Hise Hall didn’t get everything they wanted, but it was more than half a loaf. The budget included $32 million in new financial aid and backs the system’s plan to increase enrollment, which should improve access to higher education in Wisconsin at a time when the â??knowledge economyâ? needs more skilled workers. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s $8.4 million engineering campus also survived the budget negotiations.