Conflicting visions for the future of higher education in Wisconsin clashed at the Capitol Wednesday.
Before a joint meeting of the Senate’s Higher Education and Tourism Committee and the Assembly’s Committee on Colleges and Universities, UW System President Kevin Reilly and Rep. Rob Kreibich, R-Eau Claire, outlined their respective proposals for restructuring the relationships between the 13 two-year colleges and the 13 four-year universities. Wednesday’s meeting offered a chance for legislators to debate whether they should undertake the grueling task of overhauling the UW System in increasingly tight economic conditions.