The Chronicle is tracking higher ed’s dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. As colleges make changes in response to anti-DEI legislation and mounting political pressure, an inconsistent and confusing landscape has emerged. This resource aims to document the changes and help readers better understand how the campaign against DEI has actually reshaped campuses.
University of Wisconsin schools are facing challenging financial futures without major changes, according to recent campus financial reports.
Several factors have led to campuses’ financial difficulties including declining state support on an inflation-adjusted basis over the last decade, the impacts of the decade-long tuition freeze that ended in 2022, declining enrollment and inflation.
Gov. Tony Evers announced a push Friday calling on the Legislature to approve more funding for the Universities of Wisconsin.
Evers called it the largest increase in state support for the university system in more than two decades.
Top graduate schools in Wisconsin landed on the latest U.S. News & World Report list ranking more than 2,000 programs across the country. U.S. News & World Report published its 2024-’25 report in April, ranking graduate programs in business, education, law and nursing, among other fields.
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s the School of Education tied for first overall with Teacher’s College, Columbia University, according the report. That’s up from third overall and second among public universities last year.
Gov. Tony Evers is calling on the GOP-led Legislature to increase funding for the Universities of Wisconsin after the system’s leaders released a slate of third-party financial audits that showed half of its schools are in financial trouble.
In a dramatic bid to keep the campus open and preserve a key driver of the local economy, the Sauk County Board plans to vote next week on a proposal to cover maintenance costs at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County.
A Music Hall restoration, a mandate to have UW System employees complete a module to address “ideological bias” in unconscious bias training and more were taken out of the Dec. 13 deal.
A newly released third-party analysis raises concerns about the financial future of multiple state universities.
Newly released reports raise questions about the financial viability of Wisconsin’s public universities and signal additional cuts coming to some campuses in future years.
Madison Area Technical College will collaborate with employers of in-demand industries to provide training, associate degrees and pay boosts for workers with Wisconsin Fast Forward Grants.
Amid rising college costs, University of Wisconsin-Madison economists see lifelong value in a bachelor’s degree.
An analysis by the University of Wisconsin’s Student Success Through Applied Research Lab found in 2020 that the largest group of borrowers — 23% of those with student debt — owed between $20,000 and $40,000, and 21% owed between $10,000 and $20,000.
The University of Wisconsin System is becoming more family friendly.
Employees will receive six weeks of paid parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child under a new policy bringing UW campuses in line with many other universities across the country. The policy takes effect July 1.
The Board of Regents has increased the base salaries for the Universities of Wisconsin president and chancellors.
Biden formally announced the plans in Madison, home to the flagship campus of the Universities of Wisconsin, as well as Madison Area Technical College and Edgewood College. The trip is Biden’s third to the state this year and sixth since February 2023 as he campaigns for a second term.
Biden will make the announcement on Monday in Madison, the state’s liberal capital and home of the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus. The president is scheduled to speak at a nearby technical college.
That was Midelfort last month, while standing in line to attend a fundraiser in Madison featuring Vice President Kamala Harris. Now the president is heading to Madison, a college town home to the University of Wisconsin. Political columnist John Nichols says the campaign visits are a big change from 20 years ago.
It’s no coincidence Biden chose Madison to deliver his remarks on student loan debt relief. Not only is it the county seat of Dane County, one of the bluest enclaves of the state, it is also the state capital and home of the University of Wisconsin with its student body population of 50,600 students.
Walking outside the Callahan Family Student Success and Learning Commons, new University of Wisconsin-Parkside Chancellor Lynn Akey waved to students as they passed.
The UW-Oshkosh Faculty Senate released results of the no-confidence vote Friday, which had an 81% participation rate. Out of all 281 faculty members, 58%, or 164 faculty members, indicated they had no confidence in Leavitt’s leadership. Approximately 23% of faculty, or 65 people, voted in favor of Leavitt’s leadership. The remaining 18.5% did not vote.
Northland College’s last-minute bid to stay open by raising $12 million in less than a month didn’t work: The board of trustees announced late Thursday that the school had raised just $1.5 million.
“(With the old website) you find out about the Board of Regents, you may find out a little bit about me, but you don’t find out how you apply to a school or what schools are available to you,” UW system President Jay Rothman said. “The best analogy I’ve figured out is that … when you go to a bank’s website, you don’t find out about the board of directors, you find out how to open a checking account. And that’s the same kind of consumer-friendly focus that we want to have for our students.”
Nearly three-quarters of the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh do not approve of Chancellor Andrew Leavitt’s job performance.
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh faculty voted no-confidence in their chancellor, sending a symbolic message of disapproval during a difficult budget year.
UW System President Jay Rothman first announced the increase proposal in a March 28 press release.“Our universities are facing challenging economic realities, and students and parents should know that we plan to be good financial stewards,” Rothman said. “Maintaining our affordability advantage, especially compared to our peers, is a priority.”
On its website, the bar association says the program is for University of Wisconsin and Marquette University law school students “with backgrounds that have been historically excluded from the legal field.” But the lawsuit alleged that is a new focus and that the program has historically been touted as a way to increase racial diversity among attorneys at law firms, private companies and in government.
UW system President Jay Rothman proposed the 3.75% increase last week, and the Board of Regents unanimously approved the hike Thursday at a meeting at UW-Platteville. No one spoke in opposition to the increase during the meeting.
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents on Thursday approved tuition increases that average 3.75% for the system’s 13 universities, about $387 more per year. With annual tuition and segregated fees factored in, the increase amounts to 4.4% for 2024-25, the university said.
The base tuition rate for resident undergraduates will increase by 3.75 percent. This is the second increase in two years since a tuition freeze was lifted. Tuition increased by an average of 5 percent for this school year.
The UW Board of Regents on Thursday handed out raises to all University of Wisconsin chancellors, bringing leaders in line with 6% salary increases taking effect for all UW employees.
Freshman applicants to University of Wisconsin System schools can forgo standardized tests for another two years under a policy extension expected to be approved by the UW Board of Regents on Friday.
University of Wisconsin’s Board of Regents will meet Thursday at UW-Platteville, and through Zoom. On the table are a number of controversial topics including a four percent tuition increase, paid parental leave, and whether University land can be sold.
Current policy lacks parental leave, new proposal offers six weeks.
Most UW System employees will receive six weeks of paid family leave beginning in July following an advocacy campaign from campus unions and department chairs.
This year, the U.S. Department of Education revised their Free Application for Federal Student Aid – or FAFSA. They say that the new application is more user friendly and could broaden eligibility for federal aid by more than 600,000 students.
Concordia University Wisconsin will lay off 24 employees at its Mequon campus, according to a federal WARN Notice filed with the state Department of Workforce Development.
Up to 20% of students applying for federal financial aid may have to wait even longer to be awarded financial assistance, forcing many to hold off deciding where to attend college next year until they know which schools they can afford.
The new policies give eligible employees six weeks of paid time off following the birth or adoption of a child. The change comes after UW-Madison faculty and staff lobbied administrators to implement such a policy.
“I’m really happy that we’re in a position to be able to announce this,” Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin told faculty at a meeting Monday. “This has been something I’ve wanted to bring to conclusion, and there’s been interest in this for a very long time.”
UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin are each proposing a paid parental leave policy granting six weeks of leave for the birth or adoption of a child, following more than a decade of studying its feasibility and increasing pressure from faculty and staff.
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said Monday that adding paid parental leave allows the university to stay competitive in recruiting graduate students and employees, and catch up to other local private businesses and governmental agencies that already offer it.
Under their proposals, eligible employees would have six weeks of paid leave available to them within a 12-month period for the birth or adoption of a child. The UW Board of Regents will review the policies at its meeting this week.
Members of American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls led the March 25 town hall.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has signed the GOP-authored bill into law. It will help cities and counties transition their former two-year campus sites for new purposes.
Over a single week, the UW Board of Regents faced unprecedented pressure from all sides, according to interviews and nearly 1,500 pages of emails and text messages the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel received under the state’s public records law. The records showed deep fissures among board members, and UW System President Jay Rothman questioning his ability to continue leading.
With just days to go before its self-imposed deadline to raise $12 million, the Northland College Board of Trustees said the coming week will be “critical” to the survival of the small liberal arts college in Ashland.
Resident undergraduate tuition rates would rise 3.75% for the 2024-25 academic year, without including fees or room and board. Seven universities in the UW system are proposing even higher increases on top of the 3.75%, Rothman told reporters Thursday morning.
The Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman announced his proposal to increase tuition for undergraduates, aligning with recent inflation rates on Thursday. This comes after a 2022 affordability review which found that Wisconsin’s public universities were among the most affordable in the Midwest.
UW System President Jay Rothman announced a proposed 3.75% tuition hike, which would take effect in the fall 2024 semester.
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman on Thursday announced the intent to raise tuition by 3.75%, saying the increase is in line with inflation and is necessary to maintain the UW system’s educational quality.
Wisconsin’s in-state undergraduate students will see a tuition hike of 3.75 percent in the fall, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman announced Thursday.
The closure of two University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee branch campuses will lead to the layoffs of tenured faculty members under a policy that’s previously been applied just once.
The University of Wisconsin System wants to increase tuition for in-state undergraduates by 3.75% next school year, UW System President Jay Rothman said Thursday.
If approved, it would be the second consecutive increase for resident students after a decade of seeing their base tuition rate frozen. Tuition increased by an average of 5% this school year.
Leaders in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison are crafting an undergraduate major in public policy due to increasing student interest, at a time when the general public is polarized or largely turned off by the tenor of politics and government.
The former home of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chancellor is on the market for nearly $1.3 million.
The university announced in January it hoped to sell the house as part of an effort to cut costs. In February, the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved the university’s request.
UWM is selling the former home of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chancellor on Milwaukee’s east side. Here is a look inside the residence at 3435 N. Lake Drive, listed for $1,295,000. The stone Tudor mansion has six bedrooms, four baths and close to 5,000 square feet. It was built in 1926, according to the Wisconsin Historical Society. The listing states the home was designed by architect Charles Valentine.
A controversial state budget deal hammered out last year for the University of Wisconsin system stoked criticism from all sides — from its original proposal, initial rejection, and eventual passage — according to nearly 1,000 pages of emails, text messages, and other communications The Chronicle received in response to an open-records request.
The former home of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee chancellor is for sale on Milwaukee’s east side.
UWM announced in January that it planned to seek permission from the UW Board of Regents to sell the residence at 3435 N. Lake Drive. The UW Board of Regents approved the sale last month. It was listed on Friday for $1,295,000.
Wisconsin state agencies could consider offloading even more office space than previously planned, according to an audit presented to state lawmakers this week.
Spring break started this weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the state’s largest campus, and several Milwaukee-area school districts also start their breaks on Monday, March 25.
At least one administrator doesn’t think the Universities of Wisconsin system has “sold out” its students of color.
Even after the Board of Regents accepted a deal that restructured 43 diversity positions, UW Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt believes the campuses are still catering to all of their diverse student groups.
Get your brackets ready. Four Wisconsin teams are headed to college basketball’s ultimate arena, the NCAA Tournament.
The Marquette and Wisconsin Badgers men’s teams and the Marquette and UW-Green Bay women’s teams are each vying to win it all.
