Christian Schneider: The UW’s backward budgeting

In 1860, Wisconsin legislators were already beginning to question whether they were getting enough out of their investment in the University of Wisconsin. State government had spent over $100,000 to build the university, and critics believed the UW “was not rendering that large and practical service to education which the state expected.” In 1864, when all but one of the senior class joined the Army to fight in the Civil War – no commencement was held – it appeared the university might be headed for extinction.