Category: Higher Education/System

The $4.7 million in recently approved funds will go toward two projects, one at UW-Stevens Point and one at UW-Madison. At UW-Stevens Point, they’ll replace emergency generators which are “undersized to provide adequate capacity,” and at UW-Madison, they’ll replace electrical distribution equipment at the West Campus Electrical Substation owned by both UW-Madison and Madison Gas & Electric.

The University of Wisconsin System has eliminated a mandatory search committee process for some of its senior leadership positions that critics say will reduce transparency.

The UW Board of Regents unanimously approved a rare policy compromise Friday that grants Universities of Wisconsin presidents more appointment authority but also gives Regents a larger role in the process than current President Jay Rothman had requested.

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents discussed fraud and legal risks based on an internal audit and passed resolutions for a new AI major and funds for maintenance at today’s meeting.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison recommended “reasonable caution” on federally funded hiring and expenditures which are “elective” Feb. 3 in the wake of uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s executive orders pausing financial assistance for federal grants and loans.

Leaders of the Wisconsin Technical College system present their budget requests for the next fiscal biennium, requesting for a roughly $60 million increase.

“We’ll never have a great state without a great university. We got to fund it, we got to support it,” said Thompson, who served as interim UW System President from 2020 to 2022. “I think what is currently being asked for is completely out of sync with what is available.”

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is the most selective university in Wisconsin, according to a recent analysis from The Business Journals.

The Jan. 17 report used data from the U.S. Department of Education to determine the most selective higher education institutions in the country. Analysts used a weighted formula — based on acceptance and matriculation rates — to determine each ranking.

Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, plans to reintroduce legislation from last session that will allow Universities of Wisconsin to begin classes on Sept. 1.

Nicholas Hillman, an education professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and co-author of the report, believes it’s critical to understand students’ geographical contexts.

He said conversations about higher ed access often revolve around “informational problems”—whether students know about different college options and understand the college admissions process. But his previous research shows most students, even if well-informed, choose to stay close to home for college. That’s why he wanted to take a deeper look at where residents do or don’t have broad-access institutions within reach.

A state senator and a lobbyist for faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison want to change when classes start each fall at Wisconsin’s state universities to make them consistent with K-12 schools.

A decline in births is reshaping Wisconsin’s higher education landscape, with many UW System schools facing enrollment challenges and financial strain.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Office of Student Financial aid announced Tuesday that the temporary pause of federal grants and loans will not apply to federal student financial aid.

UW-Madison’s Office of University Relations created a working group to track and respond to the latest executive orders and congressional activity that affects higher education.

The group includes representatives from across campus, including strategic communication, the provost’s office, legal affairs, research, student affairs, human resources, the international division, enrollment management, campus police and others.

Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse chancellor Joe Gow launched a lawsuit against the UW System seeking the reinstatement of his faculty position and compensatory damages.

Matthew Fencl, a professor of health and human performance at the campus and the Sport Administration Graduate Program Coordinator for UW-Platteville, took over as campus director at the beginning of the year. Former director Stephen Swallen returned to his full-time role as an associate chemistry professor at the Baraboo Sauk County campus.

The UW System’s corporate plan is clear: pay consulting firms millions while laying off educators, and closing programs and campuses.

Edgewood College’s plan to transition to a new name could cost as much as $250,000 and take a few years to fully implement, but changes are expected to start this summer.

“In 2027, we will celebrate 100 years of advancing our mission since our founding by the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa,” President Andrew Manion, said. “As we position the institution to flourish in our second century, the time is right to celebrate by making this change to honor our past, and to embrace the future.”

Universities of Wisconsin campuses are seeing an increase in students utilizing food pantries. “Just providing a safe and welcoming spot where people aren’t afraid to come in,” UW-Whitewater’s Warhawk Pantry manager Tonia Kapitan said.

Following a rare 45-minute discussion Tuesday, the UW Board of Regents tabled a vote to change UW system policy to allow Rothman and future UW system presidents to appoint senior leadership roles without guidance from a committee.

Milwaukee Area Technical College’s former chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer filed a federal lawsuit against the college  alleging she was fired after speaking out against race and disability discrimination at the school.