The acting inspector general?s investigation into delays at Veterans Health Administration facilities points to problems so systemic that they cannot be attributed to a few bad apples. But the report does not tell us why these problems occurred.
In a letter to the editor of The Cap Times, Ron Kalil, UW?Madison professor of neuroscience, questions the newspaper’s judgment in publishing a guest opinion piece by a Virginia psychologist critical of a pair of UW?Madison researchers.
A letter to the editor from Eric Sandgren, director of the UW?Madison Research Animal Resource Center, in response to an opinion piece written by an animal rights advocate about monkey research.
Is economic inequality growing in American higher education? A report just issued by the Institute for Policy Studies ? The One Percent at State U ? indicates that it is.
In February of 1927, the historian Joseph Klausner stood before an audience at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and delivered a lecture on the ?Jewish character? of Baruch Spinoza?s philosophy.
Thailand?s Senate, the country?s only functioning legislative chamber, convened an informal meeting last week to deliberate on ways to end that country?s six-month-old political stalemate.
For America?s worst racial achievement gap to exist within the very shadow of UW should be seen as appalling. Imagine how the American Family Children?s Hospital would feel if Madison had the highest rate of childhood leukemia deaths? You can be sure there would be hell to pay.
Writer attacks idea of “trigger warnings.”
The author congratulates UW-Madison graduates and enjoyed coverage of commencement, but “as a faculty member at Madison College, it was frustrating to see the approximately 1,900 Madison College graduates ignored by the media.”
The author, a Virginia psychiatrist and member of Alliance for Animals, argues that “UW needs to at once ? and forever ? eliminate maternal deprivation from its research activities.”
From my vantage point (higher level seat), it seemed that there were no students of color among the band members. I would like to be wrong on that and would welcome a correction, if I am. I assume that the Varsity Band reflects the diversity of the student body. If that is truly the case, the UW has significant issues to address.
Democrats in Wisconsin want to lower the interest rate on student loans to help make college more affordable.
Wisconsin needs to think big so young people here can get the training and education they need to compete globally ? without being buried in debt.
Am I alone in noticing that the UW Badger football schedule this year, for home games, is the worst I have seen since having season tickets for over 30 years?
Isn?t anyone else disappointed with UW-Madison?s commencement ceremony plans?
Noted: Happily, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, that bastion of liberal thinking, has bucked the trend a bit this year by having as its commencement speaker, Jon Huntsman, a generally conservative Republican candidate for president in 2012, as well as former ambassador to China and governor of Utah. To my knowledge, his invitation has not stirred any unrest. Well done, Madison.
Noted: There may be a recovery going on, but Wisconsin still isn?t out of the hole: The poverty level continued to drop in Wisconsin in 2012, thanks to increases in jobs and earnings, according to a new study released by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, the Journal Sentinel reported last week.
You are correct that there needs to be a rational balance between the risks of technology and the ultimate benefit, which in the case of nuclear power is supplying electricity while reducing the effect of climate change. The case for nuclear, as you say, lies in the drawbacks of the competition.
WASHINGTON ? ?TO waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed.?
The Red Gym is one of the hubs of diversity on campus; should the new Diversity Plan pass, the very definition of diversity at UW will change.
The Forward Together plan is confusing because it uses two radically different definitions of diversity. One is the traditional definition that focuses on racial and ethnic diversity in students, faculty and staff.
Editors? note: we?re pleased to post a ?long read,? but a good and worthwhile read, consisting of a series of informed reflections about the future of the university from an historical perspective. Universities 2030: Learning from the Past to Anticipate the Future, was coordinated and co-edited by our colleague Adam Nelson (Professor, Educational Policy Studies and History, University of Wisconsin-Madison). I asked Adam to explain more about how this material came together, so let?s pass it over to him! Kris Olds & Susan L. Robertson
As a conscious student at the University of Wisconsin, I can confidently say UW isn?t at the top of any diversity lists. Whether we choose to ignore it or not, Wisconsin is far from being as diverse as we like to believe it is.
As a conscious student at the University of Wisconsin, I can confidently say UW isn?t at the top of any diversity lists. Whether we choose to ignore it or not, Wisconsin is far from being as diverse as we like to believe it is.
The image of the University of Wisconsin is bolstered by a number of contributors including, we hope, life-changing research, renowned and respected scientists, record numbers of Peace Corps volunteers and more. But there is no question Badger athletics and Bucky Badger himself are part of that image. And more often than not, where there are Bucky and Badger sports teams there too is the UW Varsity band?usually more memorable than all.
While you were out last weekend, the University of Wisconsin Police Department was out doing what they always do on an average Saturday night ? but they were live tweeting it.
Far be it from me to diss two free years of college for every American student. And there are some decent reasons to support a recent proposal from a pair of UW-Madison faculty that would provide just that. The problem is that students could get their free rides only at public institutions, and only if the federal government agreed to start stiffing the private ones. That?s as much an ideological shot across the bow as a way to solve problems plaguing higher education.
Another billion-dollar University of Wisconsin System surplus calls for another two-year tuition freeze. At least that?s the view taken by Gov. Scott Walker.
On April 11, Gov. Scott Walker proposed freezing tuition in the University of Wisconsin System for two more years, which follows a hard cap put in place in 2013.
To any thoughtful observer of politics, one of the biggest frustrations is watching is just how politically popular some really bad ideas can be. A perfect example is Republican Gov. Scott Walker?s proposal to freeze tuition increases within the University of Wisconsin System for four straight years.
Those of us on the outside looking in at the state Capitol and the University of Wisconsin System?s cash-flow are eager to learn more about whether the latter is sitting on $1.7 billion in extra money or if lawmakers are simply jumping on an election-year opportunity to announce a second straight two-year tuition freeze.
Gov. Scott Walker?s proposal to extend his tuition freeze on all universities within the UW System threatens the survival of one of Wisconsin?s most cost-effective universities, the UW Colleges.
When Wisconsin set up its new state-backed venture capital fund last year to spur economic development, one of the few industries left out in the cold was biotechnology.
Extending a tuition freeze on the University of Wisconsin System no doubt will be popular with students and their families, and making a college education more affordable is certainly a policy goal that should be pursued by state legislators and university officials alike.
Lisa T. Alexander is a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. She is the author of “Hip Hop and Housing: Revisiting Culture, Urban Space, Power and Law” and the forthcoming “Occupy the Right to Housing.”
Writer David Maraniss and former Regent Tom Lyons will receive honorary degrees during UW-Madison’s Friday commencement ceremonies on May 16.
The University of Wisconsin System has moved closer to the edge of political waters with the hiring of a lobbyist with links to Gov. Scott Walker to be vice president for university relations.
I was one of the lucky fans who went to Dallas to see our Wisconsin Badgers take on the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA Final Four.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is once again looking for a new leader. But that?s not the biggest problem on campus. The school has scored three times in a row with chancellors ? hiring Nancy Zimpher, Carlos Santiago and Mike Lovell. There is no reason to suspect it can?t find a top candidate this time.
Opponents of affirmative action have leveled a new three-pronged attack on affirmative action in higher education that could significantly change admissions at selective universities and colleges for the better.
Wisconsin just jumped from fourth worst to sixth best in the nation for letting the public peruse its checkbook.
Kyara Moss graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in December 2013.
A new report this week showing most colleges and universities increased spending on sports even as spending on academics stayed flat or declined adds fuel to the growing debate on the place of athletics in US colleges and treatment of student athletes.
No, he doesn?t have Anders Holm?s charm or Russell Wilson?s national title, but don?t cast judgement on this year?s commencement speaker quite yet.
It?s been a great run for the Wisconsin Badgers ? they are back in the Final Four this weekend for the first time in years, and here?s hoping they?ll be playing for a championship Monday night.
Stanley Kutler is a University of Wisconsin professor emeritus.
Last year, the media reported that the University of Wisconsin System had been accumulating large reserves of money while simultaneously raising tuition year after year. Understandably, there was significant public backlash and the state Legislature reacted accordingly by mandating a tuition freeze.
In late April 2013, the American Federation of Teachers-Wisconsin chapter gathered for a post-election “workshop” on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In part, this is the fault of college administrators who have failed to control the cost of education. But we as taxpayers are also to blame. The share of tax dollars used to support our colleges and universities is far less than it once was.
Before college is even in session, Northwestern football players spend up to 60 hours a week practicing at a one-month training camp. During the three- or four-month football season, they put in up to 50 hours a week preparing for games. That?s more time than many full-time employees devote to their jobs.
In the fight against poverty, few issues are more contentious than the allocation of the billions of dollars set aside to help those in need. Whether the money comes from private donations or state tax revenues, arguments over how to use the monies arise both in domestic and international politics. This debate usually focuses on balancing two competing interests: providing significant, meaningful help while promoting independence rather than dependence. (John Hoffmire is Director of the Impact Bond Fund at Saïd Business School at Oxford University and directs the Center on Business and Poverty at the Wisconsin School of Business at UW-Madison.)
Noted: The Wisconsin Applied Population Lab, part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, reports the state is already the 20th oldest out of 50. By 2020, 24% of the state will be 60 and older; by 2030, more than 27% will be 60-plus.
Noted: According to the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (in Ryan?s home state), the gap between the poverty rate in inner cities and that in rural areas and small towns is not as great as one might suspect. The inner city poverty rate is 19.7 percent, and the poverty rate in rural areas and small towns is 16.5 percent.
Noted: Twice, UW officials pushed language seeking to create blanket exemptions for university research. You?d think that after one embarassing beat-down, they would have learned their lesson. Both measures were stopped in their tracks.
What is an acceptable level of loan default? (Nicholas Hillman is assistant professor in the department of educational leadership & policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.)
The Sunshine Week fortune cookies and their messages serve as a reminder to those elected or appointed to do the public?s business that they work for you ? the voting and taxpaying public. UW-Madison and the UW System did not always remember this wisdom.
Dear Editor: UW has not allowed classified research on campus for over 40 years but the Legislature wants to change that with AB 729/SB 578.
Noted: My dream was to study mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as try out for its track team.
In-state tuition for undocumented students became available here in 2009, after years of organizing by immigrant youth. Unfortunately, in 2011 it was repealed by Governor Walker, who effectively shut the door to higher education for undocumented students (called “Dreamers”) in the state. It has been three years since then, and we believe it?s time this door is blown wide open again.
This is a guest post by Steven Wilson, a doctoral student in political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
