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August 18, 2026

Top Stories

Reviled Humanities Building would finally go, new dorms would rise under UW capital budget

Wisconsin State Journal

The Universities of Wisconsin is again requesting money to demolish and relocate UW-Madison’s Mosse Humanities Building and to build new residence halls.

The Humanities Building project tops the list of major requests included in the system’s $2 billion capital budget request for 2027-29, released Monday. The request seeks $463.5 million to cover the demolition of the entire building and a portion of the Art Lofts facility next to the Kohl Center, which houses a gallery for student and faculty artwork, though $46.8 million would be covered by donations.

Research

UW-Madison veterinary lab in Barron set to receive $19.5-million in renovations and expansion

ABC 18 Eau Claire

Wisconsin’s State Building Commission approved roughly $374-million in building projects statewide last week and one of those projects include a nearly $20-million investment in Barron. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (WVDL) has been looking to renovate and expand its Barron location for several years. The lab’s current building was constructed in 1992, but since then its grown too small and its labs can no longer keep up with demand.

Higher Education/System

Universities of Wisconsin announce proposed 2027-2029 tuition freeze

NBC 15

The Universities of Wisconsin Regent President Kyle Weatherly and UWs President Renee Wachter announced Monday that the Universities of Wisconsin will propose to freeze tuition rates for 2027-2029.

The pledge, called the 4-Year Tuition Pledge, is a main focus of the UW’s 2027-2029 budget proposal.

The Pledge proposes freezing tuition for the 2027-2029 biennium, provided the state invests $190 million to support the cost of the freeze and other operating needs that preserve educational quality, officials said.

UW System wants $190M in state funds for 2-year tuition freeze

The Center Square

The University of Wisconsin System is asking state lawmakers for $190 million in additional funding in order to freeze tuition for two years and cap the increase at the rate of inflation for the two next years.

The proposal is part of the university system’s biennial budget request from state lawmakers. UW leadership recently asked for an additional $90 million of funding to use toward training 35,000 new healthcare professionals over a 10-year span.

Universities of Wisconsin proposes 4-year tuition freeze in new budget request

CBS 58 Milwaukee

Universities of Wisconsin leaders announced a proposal Monday, Aug. 17, to freeze tuition through the 2027-29 budget cycle, provided the state invests $190 million to cover the cost of the freeze and other operating needs.

Under the plan, called the 4-Year Tuition Pledge, the university system would also commit to keeping tuition increases at or below the rate of inflation for the following two years.

UW proposes $730 million in additional state aid

WisPolitics

Universities of Wisconsin leaders are proposing to seek an additional $730 million in aid over the next two years with an offer to freeze tuition over that period — if the state comes up with the money to cover the lost revenue.

UW Board of Regents President Kyle Weatherly and interim system President Renee Wachter said yesterday if state lawmakers take them up on the offer for $190 million to fund the freeze, the system would also keep tuition increases at or under the rate of inflation for the 2029-31 biennium.

UW system requests $730 million to fund 2-year tuition freeze, AI infrastructure

Wisconsin State Journal

The Universities of Wisconsin is pledging to freeze tuition for two years and create thousands more workers as part of a $730 million two-year budget request it plans to submit to the state Legislature.

The request, released Monday, seeks to “address the state’s needs,” UW system Interim President Renée Wachter said.

Over the last few budget cycles, the UW system’s budget efforts have had mixed success, sometimes leading to significant increases in state funding and at other times resulting in hard-fought negotiations that yielded little.