Category: Chancellor

In the wake of the debate over Gov. Scott Walker?s budget repair bill, UW Oshkosh faculty, staff and union workers universally noted their concern and discontent with the plan.

The UW System would be forced to tighten its belt under Gov. Walker?s new state budget, especially UW-Madison which will absorb half of the $250 million cut to the UW System.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will shoulder half of the $250 million cut to the UW System in the governor?s budget. As many begin to digest Gov. Scott Walker?s proposed cuts, UW-Madison officials are trying to answer questions.

UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin probably would have preferred lesser cuts her university?s budget. However, the $125 million of cuts Gov. Walker proposed in his budget yesterday comes with a big present: The separation of UW-Madison from the UW System.

Universities around the state will be forced to take a big hit if Gov. Scott Walker?s proposed 2011-2013 budget is enacted.

While some are optimistic, others remain hesitant about substantial changes to the UW System proposed in Gov. Scott Walker?s 2011-?13 budget. In an effort to combat the budget deficit, Walker proposed a plan to remove UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee from the UW System, in addition to cutting $250 million in state aid from the system, $125 million of which will be directly from UW-Madison.

After the governor unveiled funding reductions for higher education and plans to establish the Madison campus as a public authority, the chancellor said University of Wisconsin officials will use the new flexibilities to combat ?painful? budget cuts.

Nothing is certain but death and taxes. Oh, and a jump in tuition when state funding for public higher education is slashed.

Unveiling his biennial budget on Tuesday, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin formalized his plans to split the University of Wisconsin at Madison from the rest of the system and created a pathway for the Milwaukee campus to gain a similar autonomy “soon.”

Gov. Scott Walker said in a television interview that there still is hope all of the campuses across the University of Wisconsin System could be granted some long-sought freedoms and flexibilities from state oversight.

Gov. Scott Walker would support increasing flexibility for all University of Wisconsin System schools but the means to do so now lies with the state Legislature, according to a UW System official.

Separating the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the state?s college system could dilute the system?s cachet and lead to infighting for funding.

As University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin watched this state?s government face deeper and deeper financial woes with the approach of the 2011-2013 budget, she could have sat back and asked the Legislature to consider the university?s own difficult financial situation.

How about fixing the regulations rather than splitting the System and, for example, bringing back the rivalries that were reasons for creating the System in the first place?

It feels like a divorce, said one.The flagship university is “sailing away,” said another. The comments came from chancellors of University of Wisconsin System campuses who spoke Friday to the UW Board of Regents, concerned about a proposal that would split UW-Madison from the rest of the System. It is expected to be included in Gov. Scott Walker?s budget. The meeting pitted some of the System chancellors against UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin, who has argued in favor of the separation.

Gov. Scott Walker said on “Upfront with Mike Gousha” that he?d like to give all University of Wisconsin System campuses the flexibility that he is expected to offer UW-Madison in his budget. A proposal to separate UW-Madison from the rest of the System – giving the flagship its own 21-member board of trustees – has frustrated chancellors of other UW System schools and members of the UW Board of Regents who want to see all the campuses get the same freedom from state regulations. “I told the chancellors if we can work the members of the Joint Finance Committee and ultimately the Legislature, I?d like to see that expanded to give them flexibility all across the board throughout the state,” Walker said.

The most pressing issue before us is the prospect of deep budget cuts, after years of cuts to our budgets, without the tools we need to deal with the decline of state support.

MADISON, Wis. — What would it be like if the University of Wisconsin-Madison separated itself from the rest of the University of Wisconsin System? It?s a real possibility, and it was the topic of discussion at the UW Board of Regents meeting on Friday.

The chancellor of the University of Wisconsin?s flagship campus is sticking to her guns.

In what many had predicted would be a contentious meeting of the system?s Board of Regents, Carolyn A. (Biddy) Martin defended her support for a plan that would break the Madison campus away from the rest of the Wisconsin system, creating a new governing board and granting the flagship unique flexibility. The plan is expected to be part of a budget proposal Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, is set to unveil next week.

In nearly two hours in front of the UW Board of Regents, UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin made the case for splitting UW-Madison from the rest of the University of Wisconsin System, arguing it gives the university tools for maintaining quality amid deep budget cuts.

“I believe the biggest risk to UW-Madison is a 15 percent cut, a tuition cap, and no new tools,” Martin said. “I don?t know how you deal with that without being devastated.”

There were no fireworks and only a handful of tense moments Friday morning during a special meeting of the UW System?s Board of Regents to discuss UW-Madison?s possible split from the system.

“We want and need an open and frank discussion about a big new idea and one that has the potential to significantly change higher education in Wisconsin,” Charles Pruitt, the president of the Board of Regents, said in opening remarks.

A special meeting of the UW Board of Regents Friday will consider whether it would be wise for the UW-Madison to separate from the UW System.

Chancellor Biddy Martin, Vice Chancellor of Administration Darrell Bazzell, Dean of Students Lori Berquam and the Director of the Office of Human Resources Bob Lavigna held a live web chat for students and community members to have questions about the New Badger Partnership Thursday.

UW-Madison professor Bill Cronon fears that emotions are running high and that significant and lasting damage could be done to Wisconsin?s flagship institution during a special meeting of the Board of Regents on Friday to discuss the university?s possible split from the UW System.

Some members of the UW-Madison community are expressing concern that a UW Board of Regents meeting tomorrow could turn ugly.

UW-Madison athletics director Barry Alvarez expressed his support Thursday night for the New Badger Partnership.

In the wake of the University of Wisconsin chancellor detailing the separation of the Madison campus from the UW System, Board of Regents members have voiced concerns about how the split could negatively affect the other campuses.

Two days ago I, like every other person who?s enrolled in or works at UW-Madison, received an email from Chancellor Martin.  In this message, she forwarded a memo from UW System President Kevin Reilly, Regent President Chuck Pruitt, and Regent Vice President Michael Spector.  If you haven?t read it, the full message can be found here.

I?ll preface this by saying that I have no problems with differences of opinion. I work on Council and if you can?t deal with many opinions there, you?ve picked the wrong business. Being a student leader necessitates that I listen, and try to understand as many perspectives as possible before any sort of decision.  However, opinions do not equal lies.

Rep. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater), chairman of the state Assembly Colleges and Universities committee, sent a letter to UW System President Kevin Reilly Thursday that says he opposes a plan to split UW-Madison from the system.

UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin said Gov. Scott Walker?s plan to split UW-Madison from the UW System is the only one with political traction that would give the state?s flagship campus the freedom it needs to compete with other top research universities.

In the live chat that just concluded on the New Badger Partnership with Biddy Martin, Lori Berquam, Darrell Bazzell and others, many people brought up concern that Governor Walker would be able to appoint 11 of the 21 members of the proposed UW-Madison Board of Trustees. In addition the answer that Vice Chancellor Bazzell gave:

The possibility of UW-Madison breaking off from the UW System could have ripple, if not wave, effects on UW-Whitewater.

After rumors a possible split from the University of Wisconsin System may occur broke out last week, UW officials released documents Wednesday night detailing how a public authority university would function and be governed.

UW-Madison posted two papers Wednesday which shed a little more light on what breaking away from the rest of the University of Wisconsin System might mean.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker would appoint most members of the board that runs the University of Wisconsin-Madison, under a plan spelled out in a document released Wednesday by UW-Madison officials.

UW-Madison students do not pay tuition and place their diploma?s prestige on any other university than Madison. It?s nice that some people place a higher premium on keeping the UW System together, but at the end of the day ? kind of like the United Nations and international law ? our individual school?s autonomy is more important. We cannot sacrifice the quality of UW-Madison. The vast majority of UW-Madison students agree with this premise.

UW-Madison would be governed by a 21-member board of trustees ? 11 appointed by Gov. Scott Walker ? under a proposal likely to be included in Walker?s budget.