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.
“From Community Benefits, to Collective Bargaining, and Back” was written by researchers Pablo Aquiles-Sanchez and Laura Dresser of the High Road Strategy Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The center describes itself as a “think-and-do tank” promoting solutions to social problems that focus on shared growth and opportunity, environmental sustainability and resilient democratic institutions as “necessary and achievable complements in human development.”
The Weather Guys, Steve Ackerman and Jon Martin from UW-Madison, are back to tell us why spring is often the season with the most dramatic weather. Plus, they’ll share their predictions for this summer’s heat and explain visibility ratings.
For a behind-the-scenes look at the series, PBS Wisconsin Education spoke with education producer Ian Glodich along with host Kacie Lucchini Butcher, who is director of the Center for Campus History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The official U.S. Census is only taken every 10 years, so estimates like these are “ballpark figures” determined by “symptomatic indicators of population change,” including births, deaths, and domestic and international migration, said David Egan-Robertson, a demographer with the University of Wisconsin’s Applied Population Laboratory. Still, they’re likely to closely reflect reality.
The new estimates reveal that, in the 2020s, some Wisconsin counties have seen significant population growth while others have seen steep declines.
El-Hassan, a 24-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison law student, first heard about uninstructed voting on a trip to Michigan. Among a group of law students and professors, conversation swirled around the subject of Michigan’s uncommitted movement, led by a cohort of Arab Americans and Muslim activists.
El-Hassan, who’s Muslim, hoped to find a similar initiative in Wisconsin. Then, Listen to Wisconsin, a group encouraging Wisconsin voters to cast uninstructed votes, emerged. On Monday, 20 state and local elected officials endorsed the campaign.
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.
Wisconsin state agencies could consider offloading even more office space than previously planned, according to an audit presented to state lawmakers this week.
With two questions on the April 2 ballot asking whether to amend the Wisconsin Constitution, University of Wisconsin Law School professor Robert Yablon explains what they’re asking.
There’s a disconnect in how we respond to older people struggling with their mental health, said Dr. Sarah Endicott, a clinical professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison focused on geriatrics. Some of that, she suspects, may be chalked up to ageism, which the World Health Organization defines as the stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination toward others based on age.
“I don’t think it’s intentional, but the lower value we place on older adults in general, especially when it comes to end-of-life, I’m guessing that’s part of the cause,” said Endicott, who also works as a geriatric psychiatrist at Stoughton Hospital in Dane County.
Written by Ross Milton ,an assistant professor with the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison. His research focuses on the political economy and public finance of state and local taxes and includes studies of tax limitation policies and the effects of local taxes on alternative revenue sources.
During a strangely warm winter that made maple trees ready to share their sap earlier than usual, a Wisconsin forestry outreach specialist found a constant: The state still has a lot of trees ripe for tapping.
While Wisconsin trails Vermont, New York and Massachusetts for maple syrup production, Wisconsin has more untapped maple trees than any other state, according to Tony Johnson, a natural resources educator for the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
“There is a lot of room for growth,” Johnson said recently on WPR’s “Central Time.”
Berens previously produced a video with former interim Universities of Wisconsin President Tommy Thompson during the COVID-19 pandemic in a “smash off” contest, urging residents to get tested for the virus.
As part of that initiative, Dane County received a $100,000 grant from the Vera Insitute in 2017. That pilot program, which has since ended, helped fund attorneys through Community Immigration Law Center and the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Immigrant Justice Clinic for people facing deportation.
Written by Benny Witkovsky, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. His dissertation examines nonpartisan politics and polarization in small cities in Wisconsin.
“This is a huge step in the right direction to break down barriers to access contraceptives,” Dr. Abigail Cutler, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Public Health said.
Johnson “has become an influential voice in his party because of his outspoken nature and eagerness to weigh in on issues even when his position is unpopular,” said Barry Burden, a UW-Madison political science professor and the director of the Elections Research Centerthere, in an email.
“But Johnson is unlikely to become party leader because he has not developed a network of trusting relationships with his colleagues,” Burden continued. “Although fellow Republicans often appreciate his bold critiques of Democrats and other authority figures, Johnson has not shown himself to be a coalition builder who carefully attends to the concerns of his Senate colleagues. He tends to oppose measures that are moving forward rather than finding ways to bring them to fruition.”
The School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences (CDIS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is currently facing a $15 million budget shortage for construction of its new building, set to open in 2025.
Months after a controversial deal which exchanged funds for capped diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) positions, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is looking for ways to protect itself and fight against a nationwide anti-DEI movement.
Supporters of the amendment argue outside money can “create undue influence on elections and the work of election officials,” said Emily Lau, a staff attorney with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s State Democracy Research Initiative. Lau said that can hamper trust in elections.
Those opposed to the amendment say election work is underfunded, which sows distrust as well.
“There are concerns that bans on private funding without accompanying guarantees of adequate and sufficient public funding could impede the work of election officials,” said Lau.
Zach Feiner is a research scientist at the state Department of Natural Resources and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Limnology. On WPR’s “The Morning Show,” Feiner said the state hopes lowering the number of fish caught can help walleye recover.
“For the staff here, it’s tracking these events over time, and seeing how they differ between different years,” said UW-Madison Arboretum ecologist Brad Herrick.
He’s worked there for 17 years, so he’s able to compare each season. He said this year is a weird one.
“We’ve had really sharp temperature swings from February on,” he said.
“This is the money that private give to city clerks to spend for the purposes of helping people get to the polls and cast votes,” Howard Schweber, a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, said.
Republican legislators’ assault on University of Wisconsin System campuses’ diversity, equity and inclusion offices failed to address the problem the politicians purportedly wanted to solve: Ensuring the state’s universities, particularly UW-Madison, help grow Wisconsin’s economy.
It is not yet clear whether the bill that passed the House will get a vote in the Senate. President Joe Biden has said he would sign the bill if it passes.
Even if that happens, there would surely be legal challenges, said University of Wisconsin-Madison law school professor Anuj Desai.
“I suspect the government’s first defense, so to speak, is this is not a ban on TikTok,” Desai said. “It is an attempt to get ByteDance to sell TikTok to an American company.”
A vote for uninstructed delegation is a voter telling delegates to vote for whoever they think is best at August’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago, including Biden, said Derek Clinger, a senior staff attorney with the University of Wisconsin Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative — provided that enough voters cast their ballots for the uncommitted option.
Another bill that took months to take shape was a deal between Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and the Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents. Vos wanted to do away with positions related to DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion. In exchange, he agreed to approve UW staff raises and building projects that were included in the state budget.
Evers, who was critical of the deal, eventually signed off on multiple components, including $700 million for building projects like a new engineering building at UW-Madison and guaranteed admission to the UW for the top-performing students in each graduating class across the state.
Renovations and buildings requested at UW-Madison included: A Camp Randall sports center replacement at $285 millionA replacement engineering building at $347.3 million Music Hall restoration at $39.8 million.
Includes interviews with Jeb Barzen, an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture and Jessica Hua, an associate professor in forest and wildlife ecology, both at UW-Madison.
Written by Benny Witkovsky, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. His dissertation examines nonpartisan politics and polarization in small cities in Wisconsin.
Steve Vavrus, director of the Wisconsin State Climatology Office, said this winter was a “whopping” 2 degrees warmer than the previous record of 26.1 degrees set back in the winter of 2001-2002. He noted previous records were closer in the rankings.
The pay gap for men and women in Wisconsin is worse than the gap between genders nationally, even as female representation on the state’s corporate boards continues to grow.
Nationally, women working in full-time, year-round jobs earn about 84 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. In Wisconsin, women make nearly 81 cents to every dollar a man makes, Census Bureau data shows.
A recent report from the University of Wisconsin-Extension found the pay gap persists, even for those with college degrees.
Republicans fired eight of Evers’ appointees to various state boards Tuesday, including the the first Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents members to be rejected by the Senate since 1991.
Another factor is the state’s ongoing drought from last year, said Steve Vavrus, Wisconsin’s state climatologist and the assistant director at the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Center for Climatic Research. About 68 percent of Wisconsin is in a drought, according to the latest data from the United States Drought Monitor. With 18.5 percent in a “severe drought” or a level two out of four.
“The concern right now, is that we’re in a drought still from last year. In fact, the drought conditions have worsened quietly in the last few weeks,” Vavrus said. “If we get a few more of the really unseasonably warm days that we had (earlier this month) … there’s legitimate concerns surrounding the higher risk of fire in Wisconsin and elsewhere.”
One point right off the bat: The 2020 fiscal year ended in September 2020, which means the numbers include the last few months of former President Donald Trump’s time in office.
Overall, Hovde is “pretty close on the actual numbers,” said Menzie Chinn, a professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. However, Chinn said, “the basic point is that the numbers are meaningless.”
The GOP-controlled state Senate fired eight Democratic appointees Tuesday, including two members of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents who voted against a controversial deal limiting campus diversity positions in exchange for state funding.
Lawmakers rejected two of Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Tuesday after the regents voted against a deal to freeze positions related to diversity, equity and inclusion in exchange for funding for the UW.
The Senate also for the first time passed Assembly Joint Resolution 109, a constitutional amendment that’s Wisconsin Republicans’ latest step in their fight against government-run diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Republican lawmakers last year struck a deal requiring the Universities of Wisconsin to restructure its DEI programs, and GOP legislative leaders have said they plan to scrutinize similar programs in state agencies.
Republicans who control the state Senate fired eight more of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees Tuesday, including two Universities of Wisconsin regents who voted against a deal that limited campus diversity and four judicial watchdogs who wouldn’t commit to punishing liberal state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz.
The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate on Tuesday fired eight of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ appointees, including two on the UW Board of Regents whose rejection came after they voted last year against a divisive deal that gives the UW system additional state funding in exchange for scaling back diversity efforts.
Republican lawmakers voted to pass a proposal prohibiting the Universities of Wisconsin System and technical colleges across Wisconsin from using institutional or loyalty pledges that can influence how students are admitted to its universities and faculty is hired.
The Senate appears likely to fire John Miller and Dana Wachs, two of the six regents to vote late last year against a sprawling, controversial deal struck by UW system President Jay Rothman and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, that gives about $800 million in funding to the UW system in exchange for changes to the public university system’s diversity programming.
Adult ticks, approximately half of whom are infected with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, are ready to feed earlier than usual this year.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases at the University of Wisconsin-Madison started to look for ticks in February, almost two months ahead of schedule.
Fewer than one in five Wisconsinites supports a sandhill crane hunting season in the state, according to a study conducted by University of Wisconsin researchers. And approximately half of Badger State residents oppose such a hunt.
The data are part of an effort by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center to scientifically assess attitudes on hunting the large, long-legged birds.
Menzie Chinn, a macroeconomist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the rise in state construction employment may be tied to a larger national construction boom. Chinn said about one-fifth of the change in employment for January and February is tied to nonresidential construction.
“There’s a big boom in the building of commercial (properties). Not commercial as in stores, but factories,” he said. “I don’t know how much of that is in Wisconsin, but nationwide, that’s a very big factor. There’s a lot of construction going on.”
A state Senate committee has recommended rejecting the nominations of two members serving on the state public university board, both of whom voted against a deal struck with the Legislature to restructure campus diversity positions.
On Wednesday, Gov. Tony Evers signed a measure that gives about $740 million in funding for capital investments to the Universities of Wisconsin, including funds for the new engineering building that rallied massive industry support.
“I would like to tell you about the man I love, Eric, who is running for the U.S. Senate,” Hovde’s wife, Sharon, says in his Tuesday ad. She calls Hovde a fourth-generation Wisconsinite and notes he graduated from Madison East High School and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The new maps create an open seat in and around the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, meaning voters there will have the chance to select new representation.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is getting a new engineering building, a widely supported project ensnared for months in a broader political negotiation over campus diversity programs.
While Steil’s seat appears relatively safe, it’s actually “rather competitive,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Barry Burden. Noting that Trump won the 1st District by two points in 2020 while losing the state by less than one point, “even a slight shift in political winds could bring the district into play,” he said.
“The year following a delivery is a very important year with huge life changes and where having adequate health care is absolutely essential,” said Dr. Lee Dresang, a family medicine doctor at UW Health and a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Of the patients he followed with postpartum depression, “exactly zero magically got better at 60 days after delivery,” he said during a legislative hearing.
PBS Wisconsin Education announces the launch of a new education series called The Look Back, which explores eras from Wisconsin’s history through artifacts. The Look Back was made in collaboration with the Wisconsin Historical Society, University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries, UW–Madison’s Rebecca M. Blank Center for Campus History, Wisconsin educators and learners, and museums around the state.
His comments included a reference to a city plan that prioritizes lead service line replacement based most heavily on the area deprivation index, which ranks neighborhoods by “disadvantaged status,” according to the Center for Disparities Research at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Even before Hovde formally announced his candidacy, Democrats had spent months casting him as a carpetbagger, who spends more time in California tending to his business interests than in the Badger State. Hovde does own homes in both Wisconsin and California, but he grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Parties in the lawsuit over abortion law in Wisconsin want the state Supreme Court to take the case, bypassing the state’s appeals court — University of Wisconsin Law School professor Howard Schweber described how he thinks the court might consider the issues.
In an interview, Vidal said financing for the development would include $4.9 million Meta House received from the state’s share of a 2022 opioid lawsuit settlement; a $775,000 grant from University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health via American Rescue Plan Act funds; private philanthropy, and federal New Markets Tax Credits − which help finance new commercial buildings in lower-income neighborhoods.
The Joint Finance Committee unanimously passed the measure, although Democratic members of the committee criticized their GOP colleagues for holding back the funds in exchange for restructuring the DEI positions.
One of the last pieces in a sweeping deal between the University of Wisconsin System and the state Legislature was approved Thursday, moving campuses one step closer to the end of an extended and contentious state budget session.
