Backed into a corner on a deal seen as selling out students of color in exchange for state money, the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents talked around the problem this week.
The UW System’s Board of Regents approved the controversial deal yesterday, in what the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports was the board’s fifth meeting in seven days.
A Republican-controlled legislative committee is slated to approve 6% pay raises for Universities of Wisconsin workers Tuesday after the UW system agreed this week to repurpose some diversity positions as part of a broader deal with lawmakers to unlock nearly $800 million in state aid.
“I can imagine that this was an incredibly difficult decision for members of the board of regents, as is evident from the fact that they had to do the vote twice,” Bernard Donals said. “The arrangement provides some good things for the Universities of Wisconsin, but Representative [Robin] Vos made it abundantly clear that he has it in for diversity, equity and inclusion at the universities and he forced a decision that I think is going to set us back some in that area.”
In a surprising about-face, the Universities of Wisconsin regents approved a deal Wednesday evening with Republican legislators to limit diversity positions at the system’s two dozen campuses in exchange for money to cover staff raises and construction projects.
The Universities of Wisconsin will have the opportunity to give pay raises to its 34,000 employees and build a new $347 million engineering building in Madison under a deal approved Wednesday by the Board of Regents. But the universities will also freeze DEI staffing through 2026 and eliminate or refocus about 40 positions focused on diversity.
Just days after rejecting it, the UW Board of Regents on Wednesday approved a sweeping deal with Republican legislators to free up more than $800 million in staff raises, a new engineering building at UW-Madison and other infrastructure spending in exchange for scaling back diversity efforts.
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents reversed itself Wednesday and voted to approve a Republican-brokered deal that would unlock pay raises for employees and fund UW-Madison’s new engineering building in exchange for slimming its diversity, equity and inclusion staffing.
Three members of the UW Board of Regents changed their votes on a controverisal deal over diversity efforts and pay raises.
The vote-flipping by Regents Karen Walsh, Amy Bogost and Jennifer Staton solidifed a deal months in the making between the University of Wisconsin System and Republican legislative leaders.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents flip-flopped Wednesday, voting 11-6 to approve a deal on diversity positions and pay raises it had rejected just four days earlier.
UW-Milwaukee’s “Milwaukee Tuition Promise” and University of Wisconsin-Madison’s “Teacher Pledge Program” are blueprints that other colleges can consider replicating. The longevity of the programs are reliant on private fundraising, however, and represent a fraction of the twenty-one four-year colleges in the state. A systems-level, state approach could offer funding sustainability to colleges seeking to attract students into education, an issue impacting all of Wisconsin.
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents on Wednesday voted to approve a deal with the Republican-led state Legislature to provide funds for the school system in exchange for a freeze on diversity, equity and inclusion positions, among other conditions.
During a brief press conference following the UW Board of Regents vote that ultimately changed the role of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion positions at UW schools, President Jay Rothman stated multiple times that he understood this was a ‘difficult decision for the regents’ and he respects all the people who voted for it or against it.
UW–Madison student, Madison City Council member weighs in on lack of student involvement in deal.
In emails obtained by The Daily Cardinal, UW System President Jay Rothman provided an extensive list of position titles in regards to diversity, equity and inclusion per a request by Sen. Rob Hutton in May.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents is calling for a do-over.
The board is scheduled to vote 5 p.m. Wednesday on the same deal it rejected Saturday. It will be the board’s fifth meeting in a chaotic seven days.
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents will vote again on a Republican-brokered deal it rejected Saturday that would unlock pay raises for employees and fund UW-Madison’s new engineering building in exchange for slimming its DEI positions.
The UW Board of Regents will meet again on Wednesday to reconsider a deal brokered between Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and legislative Republicans to secure pay raises for UW system employees and funding for UW-Madison’s long-awaited engineering building in exchange for restructuring system diversity efforts.
Universities of Wisconsin regents have decided to vote again on a deal with Republican lawmakers that calls for reducing diversity positions in exchange for funding to cover employee raises and campus construction projects, including a new engineering building at UW-Madison.
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents previously rejected the proposal Saturday in a 9-8 vote.
Growing student, faculty criticism says the proposed deal exchanged diversity, equity and inclusion programming without foreknowledge from the students it would affect.
The adoption of the deal in the rescheduled meeting comes at the recommendation of Regent President Amy Blumenfeld Bogost, Regent Ashok Rai, Regent Kyle Weatherly and UW President Jay Rothman. Bogost voted against the deal Saturday, while Rai and Weatherly voted for the deal.
Under the deal, the school system would freeze the number of DEI positions at its schools through 2026. Additionally, a third of those positions would be realigned “to areas with a primary focus on academic and student success.”
“I think the frustration that many of us are feeling has only been magnified,” professor at UW Green Bay, Jon Shelton, said.
The board has a meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening. An agenda lists a “recommendation to approve” terms related to a state funding proposal. Republicans have withheld $32 million of funding from UW because of opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
The salaries of more than 34,000 University of Wisconsin system employees are in limbo because of a few on-campus programs.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Monday the deal was his final offer and would prefer if the UW System moves forward with the deal despite Democrat opposition.
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents could be positioning itself to reverse a surprise decision made over the weekend.
On Tuesday, Dec. 12, the board will meet in a special session and is expected to discuss the rejection of an $800 million funding deal.
Members of the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents will consult with attorneys Tuesday about a lawsuit challenging the power of the Legislature, a move that comes just days after the board rejected a deal with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos involving pay raises and limits on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
For months, the Universities of Wisconsin and Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos have been at odds over diversity initiatives on public campuses.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing fight over funding after the regents voted to reject a deal with Republican legislators that would have traded money for concessions on diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.
University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman knew the vote on a deal over campus diversity efforts was critical.
In fact, in the days leading up to it, he floated resigning if the vote failed, according to UW student Regent Evan Brenkus.
Wisconsin’s top Republican lawmakers said Monday that they are done negotiating with the Universities of Wisconsin over a deal that would have given the university system’s employees a pay raise and paid for the construction of a new engineering building in exchange for reductions in staff positions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Another battle over diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses has reached a fever pitch. After a long standoff with Wisconsin’s Republican-led state legislature, the University of Wisconsin agreed on Friday to freeze all new hires related to diversity, equity and inclusion in exchange for $800 million for pay raises and a new engineering building on the UW Madison campus.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Monday that Republicans “are not changing one thing” in the compromise plan the Universities of Wisconsin Regents rejected Saturday to roll back diversity efforts in exchange for staff raises and a new engineering building and other infrastructure improvements.
In an unexpected move Saturday, the board overseeing state public universities narrowly rejected a deal University of Wisconsin System leaders brokered with the state’s top Republican over campus diversity efforts.
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh sophomore Aubrie Selsmeyer read the assurances from campus administrators that cutting 200 staff positions to address an $18 million budget deficit would have a “minimal impact on students and student success.” But she doesn’t buy it.
“We’re losing mentors. Our professors are losing colleagues and friends,” Selsmeyer recently said on WPR’s “Central Time.” “There are going to be empty classrooms. Emails are going to go unanswered. And I think we’re going to lose things that we absolutely took for granted and we may not even realize yet.”
Campus closures and tuition hikes loom at the Universities of Wisconsin with a projected $60 million deficit by next summer.
College leaders and lawmakers hope a change to the state’s reciprocity deal with Minnesota can help ease some of those shortfall struggles.
In a narrow vote on Saturday, the University of Wisconsin (UW) System Board of Regents chose to reject $800 million of additional funding in exchange for keeping and expanding their diversity offices.
Universities of Wisconsin regents narrowly rejected a deal Saturday reached with Republicans that would have given employees a pay raise and paid for construction of a new engineering building in exchange for reductions in staff positions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
A narrowly divided UW Board of Regents on Saturday rejected an agreement between Universities of Wisconsin system President Jay Rothman and legislative Republican leaders authorizing UW system funding and pay raises in exchange for changes to universities’ diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The Board of Regents rejected a deal Saturday that would have unlocked pay raises for employees, funded UW-Madison’s new engineering building and allowed the Universities of Wisconsin to recoup the $32 million cut from its budget earlier this year.
Without private donations, the Universities of Wisconsin’s Wisconsin Tuition Promise program could be in jeopardy for future cohorts of low- to median-income students who might otherwise struggle to afford a college education.
Regents share perspectives, emphasize importance of DEI at UW schools.
The regents voted 9-8 against the deal, which would have unlocked $32 million for the system’s workforce development plan, paid for projects including a proposed engineering building at UW-Madison, and green-lit raises for UW employees.
The Board voted 8 to 9 with several members stating the deal would limit resources for students of color. “I can not and will not vote to set the system back,” stated Regent Joan Prince.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents rejected a resolution to restructure DEI positions in exchange for funding for UW System employee pay raises and building projects in a 9-8 vote.
The regents voted 9-8 against the deal, which comes after Republican lawmakers had previously threatened to completely cut diversity programs.
In a deal months in the making, the University of Wisconsin system will “reimagine” its diversity efforts, restructure dozens of staff into positions serving all students and freeze the total number of diversity and administrative positions for the next three years.
In exchange, the universities would receive $800 million to give pay raises for 35,000 employees and move forward on some building projects, including a new engineering building for UW-Madison.
On the table are pay raises for 35,000 employees, a new engineering building for UW-Madison and $32 million recouped back into UW’s budget after lawmakers cut it earlier this year. Also being discussed is millions of dollars for building projects at some other campuses and a change in how the state manages money from the tuition reciprocity agreement with Minnesota that would bring more money to campuses.
Universities of Wisconsin leaders are said to be nearing a deal with Republican legislative leaders that would reclassify a third of the system’s diversity, equity and inclusion employees and put a yearslong moratorium on hiring more, in return for a new UW-Madison engineering building and moving ahead with employee pay raises already approved in the budget.
Statement comes after $32 million budget cut, employee layoffs.
Wisconsin Assembly Democrats released statements Thursday denouncing Republican efforts to “trade” freezing diversity, equity and inclusion positions for pay raises and building project approvals across the UW System.
Starting next year, high school students could be accepted into University of Wisconsin schools without even applying.
The Universities of Wisconsin is rolling out its direct admissions initiative to boost enrollment across its campuses. UW system administrators hope to reach first-generation college students and other potential students who might not have considered attending a four-year school.
The bounds of free speech continue to challenge University of Wisconsin System campuses.
A neo-Nazi group briefly appeared on campus during a march in Madison in November. They were within their First Amendment rights, though police and UW-Madison condemned their presence.
The University of Wisconsin system supports the intent of the bill but fears it may create more administrative oversight than the policy currently in place, which already gives student media independence. UW System vice president Jeff Buhrandt suggested separating K-12 and higher education institutions into two bills.
Co-authored by State Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, represents the 7th Senate District. State Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, represents the 26th Senate District.
Devin Harris, NBA All-Star, Big Ten Player of the Year, Wisconsin Mr. Basketball, father of three precious daughters, living a full life in Texas, with the freedom to do what he wants, and money to invest, still had that one promise, nagging him.
Getting his degree.
Among the legislation signed: SB 380, which makes financial aid programs more user-friendly and lifts the $3,150 cap on the Wisconsin Grant award for Universities of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Technical College System students.
The leader of the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate said Wednesday that lawmakers are nearing a deal that would allow for long-blocked pay raises for Universities of Wisconsin employees to take effect and for funding to be released to pay for construction of a new engineering building.
