A University of Wisconsin-Madison fundraising drive that began last fall with a $100 million pledge has generated a quarter of a billion dollars, university officials announced Tuesday.
UW-Madison fundraising drive generates about $250 million
AP
Category: Chancellor
Faculty members think massive donation will help retain top professors at U of Wisconsin Madison
Inside Higher Education
Facing what is sure to be a difficult retention season, given this year’s battles over the future of higher education funding and tenure in Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin at Madison is today announcing the results of a massive donation-matching campaign aimed at recognizing top faculty members with endowed chairs.
UW campus officials prepare for new year after tumultuous summer
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
After a summer of turmoil over budget cuts and tenure protections, chancellors in the University of Wisconsin System now must convince faculty and staff that all is not doom and gloom as a new academic year begins this week.
A defiant UW-Madison Chancellor Becky Blank, who won’t address her faculty in person until Oct. 5, has vowed to do everything possible to fend off competitors who attempt to lure away her best and brightest researchers. Wisconsin’s higher education woes were widely broadcast to a national audience as Gov. Scott Walker launched his presidential bid while he and state lawmakers were cutting education spending.
Blank: Lots of water, lots of corn, 1,140 miles
Agri-View
I’ve been to many places in Wisconsin in my two years as chancellor, but always with a singular purpose: to meet someone, to speak to a group, to visit a company. Vacation is a time for travel with less of a purpose.
Spheres of influence: 2015 most influential people in Greater Madison
In Business Madison
Rebecca Blank: When Gov. Scott Walker proposed $300 million in cuts to the University of Wisconsin System, his most outspoken critic was UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. It’s not just that she was outspoken, it was the impact of her advocacy — particularly the competitive disadvantages created by associated faculty changes — that helped turn public opinion against the governor’s plan.
UW-Madison Chancellor On The Future of Tenure
Wisconsin Public Radio
Chancellor Rebecca Blank weighs in on the future of tenure at UW-Madison on WPR’s Central Time.
Liberia: In the Shadow of Ebola
allAfrica.com
Monrovia — Emmanuel Urey and his family’s struggle is the subject of a gripping documentary production by Independent Lens which trails Urey, a Liberian going to school in Wisconsin but who was in Monrovia with some of his children when the Ebola virus broke out. The film is both an intimate portrait of a family in the center of a terrifying crisis, but also a fascinating look at how a country in the aftermath of a long civil war handled a major health scare.
Blank: Why State Lawmakers Must Support Tenure at Public Universities
Chronicle of Higher Education
In the past few weeks, I’ve been in the midst of a debate over tenure for college professors in Wisconsin.
UW faculty continue to voice concerns at tenure meeting
Badger Herald
University of Wisconsin faculty continued to speak out against potential tenure changes in the state budget and Chancellor Rebecca Blank spoke on her plan to retain tenure protections at a listening session in Union South Monday.
Blank says alums care about university
Upfront with Mike Gousha
Chancellor Rebecca Blank says she’s heard from many graduates of UW-Madison that they want to help the school.
Chancellor: Concerned with level of faculty anger
Upfront with Mike Gousha
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank says faculty are unhappy with proposed changes to their job protections, and she is worried she’ll lose top people as a result.
Raiding of UW-Madison faculty tops list of tenure-change worries for Rebecca Blank
Madison.com
Recap of Chancellor Blank’s appearance on the Sunday program “UpFront with Mike Gousha.”
Rebecca Blank: UW should have same or better tenure as peers
Wisconsin State Journal
“Recent action by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee has the potential to threaten that longstanding commitment to fearless inquiry. I am worried about the risk this creates for UW-Madison, by alienating and demoralizing the faculty who have built this into one of the world’s finest education and research institutions. Abrupt changes to tenure and shared governance — another historic underpinning of UW-Madison — could drive away the people we most need to attract and retain. That these changes are being recommended without public discussion or consultation from those who will be most affected adds to our collective concern.”
UPDATE: UW-Madison faculty speaks out on tenure concerns
NBC15
Many UW-Madison faculty members are worried their jobs could be at risk after the Joint Finance Committee recently voted to remove tenure from state law. Tenure offers protection for academic freedom and was designed to make sure people can express ideas without fear of retaliation.
UW faculty, chancellor express concerns about tenure proposal
Channel3000.com
A proposal in the state budget to cut the tenure system from state law is drawing criticism from those who work at the University of Wisconsin. Chancellor Becky Blank said the tenure plans are not a disaster, but faculty members demanded answers late Tuesday at a faculty senate meeting.
UW-Madison chancellor to meet with faculty about tenure
WKOW TV
UW-Madison chancellor Rebecca Blank plans to meet with the university’s faculty senate Tuesday to address concerns about the changes to tenure.
UW chancellor: Tenure changes not the disaster that some people want to portray
Wisconsin State Journal
University of Wisconsin leaders moved forcefully on Monday to stem the fallout from lawmakers’ plans to strip tenure protections from state law as UW-Madison faculty planned an emergency meeting on the matter for Tuesday.
UW-Madison chancellor vows fast action on tenure protection
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank said Monday she will work with faculty to quickly draw up tenure protections for the state’s flagship campus “that would be the equivalent of any of our peers.”
Move to strengthen hand of regents in chancellor searches advances
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A Board of Regents committee advanced a policy change Thursday that gives the regents a greater role in the process of searching for campus leaders.
Professors: UW needs to ‘forcefully defend’ tenure
Channel3000.com
More than 360 professors who have won some of the university’s most prestigious research awards signed a letter they plan to send to the UW-System Board of Regents before their meeting Thursday.
Aztalan visitor center plans to debut May 30
Daily Jefferson County Union
Noted: As part of the special event, Professor Sissel Schroeder of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Anthropology will provide a brief presentation at the park shelter at 2 p.m. She will discuss her archaeological field school excavations, which will be under way at the time and focus on the residential homes of the prehistoric people who populated Aztalan.
The Best Commencement Advice For This Year’s Class Of Connected Millennials
Fast Company
The Internet continues to reshape entire industries. Few know this better than journalists like Katie Couric, who has recently shifted from reporting news on television to reporting news online. In her speech to graduates at the University of Wisconson Madison, she talked about the importance of taking risks and failing gracefully.
Katie Couric Delivers University of Wisconsin-Madison Commencement Speech, Offers Career Advice
Hollywood Reporter
Katie Couric had some uplifting words of advice to give graduating students of the University of Wisconsin-Madison during her commencement speech on Saturday morning.
UW-Madison chancellor’s lecture at National Press Club to be live streamed
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will deliver a high-profile lecture Thursday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., as this year’s winner of the Moynihan Prize.
UW raises $53 million out of a $100 million budget deficit
Badger Herald
Chancellor Rebecca Blank updated University of Wisconsin’s Faculty Senate Monday on recent developments to raise money to make up for the deficit created by Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million budget cut to the UW System.
The Wisconsin (Job Creation) Idea
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Chancellor Blank has a blog that talks about the need to weaken the University of Wisconsin-Madison to make room for state budget cuts.
Scott Fitzgerald: Some legislators still have ‘bitter taste’ after UW System surplus flap
Capital Times
In an interview broadcast Sunday on WKOW-TV program “Capitol City Sunday,” state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, indicated that restoring funding to K-12 education and to transportation are also among the top priorities … [W]ith the UW Board of Regents voting to raise tuition on out-of-state and graduate students, Fitzgerald said there “seems to be even less of a commitment to backfill” a $300 million cut to the UW System over the next two years. The way that Fitzgerald described it, there is still some animosity left over from the Legislature’s 2013 dealings with the UW System over the latter’s fund surpluses.
International delegation visits Madison-area centers of innovation, technology
Wisconsin State Journal
A foreign delegation featuring 47 government ministers from 28 countries spent Wednesday touring Madison-area centers of technology and entrepreneurship, starting with a tour of healthcare software giant Epic Systems Corp. in Verona and moving on to many examples of UW-Madison-related innovations.
Revenue vs. enrollment: What the tuition increase means for UW
Badger Herald
Chancellor Rebecca Blank and other University of Wisconsin System officials say increasing non-resident tuition will bring UW’s rates up to “market value,” but some experts worry the spike will decrease enrollment.
UPDATE: UW-Madison chancellor announces elimination of 400 positions
WKOW TV
Thousands of UW-Madison students will have fewer courses to choose from and longer wait times to see academic advisers next year. Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced the University will eliminate 400 positions for the 2015-16 school year to trim $21 million.
UW-Madison claims $15 billion in state economic impact
Wisconsin State Journal
The state’s flagship campus, UW-Madison, and its affiliated entities contribute $15 billion a year to the Wisconsin economy, according to a report commissioned by the university and funded by its foundation.
Report gauges statewide economic impact of UW-Madison at $15 billion
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
For every taxpayer dollar spent on the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the university generates $24 for the state economy, according to a new consultant’s report.
Regents panel approves tuition hike for nonresidents, grads
Madison.com
Tuition for graduate students and nonresidents would increase by at least several hundred dollars next year at most University of Wisconsin System campuses under a plan a regents committee approved Thursday to help the schools brace for $300 million in cuts Gov. Scott Walker has proposed in his budget.
UW-Madison’s Rebecca Blank brings tuition hike plan to Board of Regents
Capital Times
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank is taking a long-promised plan to raise tuition for nonresident and professional students to the Board of Regents this week.
What Badgers Hoops Means For The University Of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Public Radio
The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team came up a little bit short in the national championship game against Duke on Monday. Joy Cardin and UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank discuss what the program means for the university, especially its great run in 2015.
Leaders of Final Four universities asked about Indiana’s ‘religious freedom’ law
Capital Times
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank says she is taking seriously concerns of discrimination against gays raised by Indiana’s new religious freedom law while Duke University declares it stands with the LGBT community.
Cross asks state budget committee to reduce proposed $300 million UW cut
Badger Herald
Criticisms alluded to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank at the state’s Joint Finance Committee hearing Tuesday amid discussions of the proposed budget cuts and autonomy for the UW System.
SLAC continues to pressure chancellor to end relations with JanSport
Daily Cardinal
The Student Labor Action Coalition held a rally Friday pressuring Chancellor Rebecca Blank to cut licensing ties with VF Corporation, the parent company of JanSport.
Blank, university faculty express optimism amid frustration at undergraduate budget forum
Daily Cardinal
Tension was evident in Union South’s Varsity Hall Monday during a public forum discussing the ramifications Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed UW System budget cuts could have on UW-Madison undergraduates.
PolitiFact: On the UW System budget cuts and right to work
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
New this afternoon from PolitiFact Wisconsin: Amid the uproar over Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System, we check a claim by UW-Madison chancellor Rebecca Blank. She says UW-Madison “spent down reserves” as it was told to do two years ago and, facing the new cuts, has “no more reserves to spend down.”
State Democrats come to Blank’s defense amidst criticism
Daily Cardinal
State Democrats defended Chancellor Rebecca Blank Thursday after Republicans attacked her Wednesday for “playing politics” with her university.
On Campus: Top Republicans blast UW-Madison chancellor for playing ‘Washington politics’ in budget battle
Wisconsin State Journal
The leaders of the state’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee accused UW-Madison chancellor Rebecca Blank of playing Washington politics with the current budget debate, noting her ties to U.S. President Barack Obama and her predecessor’s support for elements of Gov. Scott Walker’s plans that she opposes.
UW-Madison’s Rebecca Blank is playing ‘Washington politics,’ 2 legislators say
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Chancellor Blank statement: “Our recent conversations with legislators have been positive and we understand the pressures they are facing. As I have stated in the past, flexibilities offered through a public authority model are welcome and would eventually allow the System to function more effectively. However, we continue to be concerned about the impact of a proposed $300 million cut. We look forward to working with legislators throughout the budget process to reduce the impacts on the university.”
Republicans slam Blank for ‘bringing Washington politics to Madison’
Badger Herald
The co-chairs of the state Legislature’s budget committee slammed University of Wisconsin Chancellor Rebecca Blank Wednesday for “bringing Washington politics to Madison.”
Gov. Walker, eyeing a 2016 bid, picks new fight in Wisconsin: Universities
Washington Post
Gov. Scott Walker has cited his experience battling unions here four years ago as proof that voters appreciate a political leader willing to “go big and go bold.” So as he woos supporters around the country for a possible presidential bid, Walker (R) is once again picking a fight against a powerful institution at home — public universities.
UW holds forum to begin conversation on biomedical crisis
Badger Herald
After a paper found that biomedical research is “an unsustainable, hyper competitive system,” the University of Wisconsin began a campus-wide conversation Monday launched by Chancellor Rebecca Blank.
UW-Madison chancellor to robo-call 70,000 alums in Wisconsin at 7 p.m. for budget briefing
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
More than 70,000 University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni who live in Wisconsin will get a robo phone call at about 7 this evening from Chancellor Rebecca Blank.
UW-Madison leader predicts 6% departmental cuts under Scott Walker plan
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Schools and colleges within the University of Wisconsin-Madison likely will have to cut an average 6% from their budgets over the next two years, and administrative units will face deeper cuts, UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank said Friday during a campus forum.
UW-Madison Chancellor Says Permanent Tuition Cap Would ‘Actively Harm’ UW
Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank says a permanent tuition cap like the one being discussed by some Republicans could “actively harm” the university, especially if state funding continues to drop.
UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank discusses layoffs, sick leave at forums
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Between a late-night meeting with third-shift employees and daytime forums with faculty, staff and students, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank this week has been fielding questions ranging from how soon potential layoffs could happen to whether sick leave could be threatened under Gov. Scott Walkers proposed budget.
Badgers sports: UW poised to raise football ticket prices
Madison.com
To avoid a budget shortfall for 2015-16, UW Athletics has proposed a $3 increase in season football tickets for the second straight year, moving the per-seat price at Camp Randall Stadium from $45 to $48. That ranks seventh in the 14-member Big Ten Conference.
UW-Madison faculty, staff offer up ideas to deal with Scott Walker’s cuts at campus forum
Capital Times
Recap of Thursday budget forum.
Badgers sports: UW poised to raise football ticket prices
Wisconsin State Journal
The increase, from $45 to $48 per seat, comes in the wake of chancellor Rebecca Blank’s request that the Athletic Department up its annual services contributions to campus.
UW chancellor addresses UW and state budget cuts during series of forums
WKOW-TV 27
UW chancellor, Rebecca Blank, is inviting the campus community to come together to discuss Governor Scott Walkers proposed budget cuts to the U-W System.
Rebecca Blank: UW-Madison layoffs could begin in April
Wisconsin State Journal
The state’s biennial budget may not be finalized until May or June, but layoffs as a result of Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System could hit UW-Madison as soon as April, Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced Wednesday.
Blank to UW Staff: ‘I’m sorry’ layoffs are coming
WISC-TV 3
A large, standing room-only UW-Madison faculty and staff audience heard Chancellor Rebecca Blank apologize late Wednesday night as she warned layoffs under Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal were unavoidable and could come as early as April.
Chancellor Blank to hold talks on proposed UW System cuts
Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will host a series of forums this week to discuss Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed cuts to the UW System budget.
Chancellor Rebecca Blank to host forums on Scott Walker budget at UW-Madison this week
Capital Times
UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank will host a series of forums on Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget that she says would leave the campus with a $91 million shortfall next year.
UW chancellors take to social media, push alumni to lobby lawmakers
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Chancellors in the University of Wisconsin System are harnessing the power of the Internet to rally their campuses, alumni and parents of students for what could be a long battle over proposed state budget cuts.
Blank addresses “too big” budget cuts, looks towards increasing out-of-state tuition
Badger Herald
In the aftermath of Gov. Scott Walker’s budget address, University of Wisconsin Chancellor Rebecca Blank spoke to the Board of Regents Thursday, saying Walker’s proposed cuts are “just too big.”