Steve Nass, who has developed a famous reputation as the UW System?s biggest critic, will reclaim his position as chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee for the upcoming legislative session. Speaker-elect Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) announced the 26 committee chairs for the 2011-12 session on Tuesday.
Wisconsin has long been touted as ?a leader? in education. The latest statistics show we are the top ranked state in the nation when it comes to high school graduation rates. We graduate 89 percent of our students.
Ken Goldstein, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, conducted the poll on behalf of the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute.
Republicans and independent observers derided the latest estimate of the state?s budget problem released by outgoing Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle?s administration Friday as “fairly meaningless” and an understatement of what lies ahead.
A narrow majority of Wisconsin residents oppose a planned high-speed train route, but hardly anyone on either side of the issue thinks it should be the state?s top priority, a new poll says.
The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute survey also found only slightly less opposition to electronically collected tolls on interstate highways.
And residents said transportation spending should be the No. 1 target for elected officials seeking to cut the state budget.Ken Goldstein, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, conducted the telephone poll of 615 adult state residents Monday through Wednesday for the Hartland-based conservative think tank. Results have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
To say Wisconsin has gone from blue to red may be an understatement. It?s more like a crimson tide has swept over the Legislature, bringing a flood of conservatives to the state Capitol.
….Judging by most Republicans? endorsements and tea party ties, conservative bills will find a receptive audience among members of the new majority.
For example, when the next session starts, 34 Republican Assembly members (and Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer, an independent from Manitowoc) will have been endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin, a group that opposes abortion even in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at risk. The group, which also opposes embryonic stem cell research and any artificial birth control, also endorsed Gov.-elect Scott Walker ? who will be Wisconsin?s first governor endorsed by the group ? as well as Lt. Gov.-elect Rebecca Kleefisch, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, and eight members of the Senate.
Quoted: UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin.
Skaters and swimmers at the University of Wisconsin will be getting a new state-of-the-art facility next to the Kohl Center in Madison that will give them a centralized location for all their events. The State Building Commission approved the project at its meeting on Wednesday.
The Wisconsin State Building Commission gave final approval to a new UW-Madison hockey and swimming facility Wednesday.
Fresh off his victory over Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, governor-elect Scott Walker met with the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents in Madison on Nov. 4. During the meeting, Walker was able to speak with education leaders from around the state and discuss how they can work together to balance the state budget and graduate more students from UW schools.
Dear Editor: ….The request to stop the biomass boiler installation is shortsighted and will hurt the state in the long run. Even if the governor believes, despite all scientific evidence to the contrary, that global warming doesn?t exist, there are still important reasons for continuing this project. The ability to supply our own fuel (biomass) rather than sending taxpayer money out of state to purchase natural gas should be the type of policy that we all support.
As a chemical engineering researcher in the field of biomass, I know that Wisconsin and especially the university are world leaders in biomass utilization.
For the first time in memory, state and UW employees in the Wisconsin Retirement System will have to pay into their accounts. Small contributions were deemed necessary by the Department of Employee Trust Funds Board to maintain solid funding of the WRS, which suffered large investment losses during the 2008 stock market downturn.
“The contribution rates were raised effective for 2011 and will be reviewed again prior to the 2012 calendar year,” says Matt Stohr, ETF spokesman.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, UW-Madison political science professor.
University of Wisconsin campuses are preparing to transition into tighter spending as the Governor-elect works with his transition team to draft Wisconsin?s new budget. During his campaign Walker promised not to raise Wisconsin?s taxes, desipite a $2.7 billion budget deficit beginning in 2011. The University of Wisconsin system accounts
Go ahead and send a text message while driving. Heck, feel free to drink alcohol too.It?s allowed – nay, encouraged – as long as you?re at UW-Madison?s new driving simulation laboratory. Located in the Mechanical Engineering Building, the simulator allows researchers to study such risky behaviors with no risk of an accident.
Quoted: Andrew Reschovsky, a UW-Madison economics professor.
According to a national addiction study, Wisconsin still ranks high for binge drinking. And treatment options don?t meet the need.
If Gov.-elect Scott Walker wants to radically redraw plans to convert a Madison power plant, the contractor behind the project would sure like to know what the changes entail.
MILWAUKEE — The Medical College of Wisconsin has received a $1 million grant to train physicians in geriatric care.The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation awarded the grant, one of 10 awarded to medical schools nationwide.
Governor-elect Scott Walker pressured Gov. Jim Doyle to halt or alter his decision-making on projects including health care, state employee labor contracts and the Charter Street Power Plant.
Four unions can move forward with efforts to assign University of Wisconsin System employees to their ranks, under a decision by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission. The unions petitioned the commission last year to reclassify nearly 500 UW System employees from “academic staff” to “classified staff” so that they could be folded into existing unions. Some employees objected to the notion of getting assigned to unions without getting a chance to vote.
Word is starting to spread at University of Wisconsin campuses about hate crimes against gays and minorities.
Governor-elect Scott Walker told Gov. Jim Doyle to stop pushing for Democratic policies, including the use of a bio-fuel boiler in the Charter Street Power Plant and healthcare reform in a letter sent Wednesday.
For advocates of cows grazing on grass rather than eating silage, the benefits to the environment, farmers and cows are clear. But the million dollar question is, how does the milk these cows produce taste? Will people want to buy and cook with grass-fed dairy products? In late October, a group was invited to UW-Madison?s Arlington Research Station for a ?Grass-fed Dairy Tasting,? as part of a three-year project aimed at working with farmers, dairy processors and chefs to build a market for grass-fed milk.
Governor-elect Scott Walker?s order Thursday to axe a biofuels boiler for the redesigned Charter Street Heating Plant was met less with surprise than discouragement by supporters of the plan. “It?s disappointing,” said Jennifer Feyerherm with the Sierra Club. “I think we?re missing a great opportunity to invest in Wisconsin?s future.” In a letter to Daniel Schoof, secretary of the state Department of Administration, Walker said he wants to shift plans to installing a natural gas boiler rather than the boiler that would burn alternative naturally grown fuels such as wood chips or switch grass. Such a move, Walker said, would save the state $100 million of the total $250 million cost of rebuilding the university?s central heating and cooling plant so that it no longer burns coal.
Gov.-elect Scott Walker is determined to bring major changes to Madison ? seemingly even before he takes office next year. Walker, a Republican, has asked Gov. Jim Doyle?s administration to immediately stop some of its key policy initiatives, signaling that he wants to block the Democratic administration from any last-minute political maneuvering that could hamstring him later. In a letter sent Wednesday to Department of Administration Secretary Daniel Schooff, Walker urged the current administration to start revamping the Charter Street power plant.
The door has been opened once again for thousands of academic staff working across the University of Wisconsin System to be assigned to unions — without getting to vote on whether or not they want to be represented.
The Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission ruled Wednesday it has the power to decide whether academic staff working across the University of Wisconsin System are properly classified.
Governor-elect Scott Walker asked Gov. Jim Doyle Thursday to freeze his administration?s push on high-profile issues ranging from the implementation of the federal health care law to a costly upgrade of a state power plant — the Charter Street Heating Plant — until Walker takes office on Jan. 3.
Governor-Elect Scott Walker wants to put a stop to some of the work the current administration is doing.
Gov.-elect Scott Walker on Thursday requested Department of Administration Secretary Daniel Schooff reverse course on a series of Gov. Jim Doyle?s initiatives.
Wisconsin scientists and start-up companies should continue to use human embryonic stem cells ? and their noncontroversial counterparts ? in ongoing research because they hold great promise for treating disease and injury, two panelists said Wednesday at the Early Stage Symposium.
Governor-elect Scott Walker is asking the current administration to stop work on several issues. In a letter sent to the Department of Administration, Walker requests that current Governor Jim Doyle put a halt to work in a number of areas during his final months in office.
Gov.-elect Scott Walker took the unusual step Thursday of asking outgoing Gov. Jim Doyle?s administration to halt federal health care reforms in the state, cease negotiations on state workers? contracts and abandon any new rules for state agencies.
….A recent report by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds that nearly 22 percent of Wisconsin residents between the ages of 18 and 25 reported alcohol dependence or abuse in the past year, and more than half of young adults admitted to binge drinking in the prior month. Stats for the overall population were dismal, too. Only three states, Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota, have worst rates of binge drinking for residents aged 12 and above.
In 1952, Wisconsin Gov. Walter J. Kohler Jr. expressed frustration over rivalries among the state?s public universities, saying: “These institutions are competing here for money, just as they are competing for students, and this tugging and hauling must be stopped.”
Gay rights advocates say they fear that Wisconsin?s new Republican leadership may attempt to do away with the state?s domestic partnership registry. The registry was enacted last year as part of the budget. It allows qualified domestic partners to be able to make end of life decisions, have hospital visitation rights, and to take family and medical leave to care for a seriously ill partner.
Governor-Elect Scott Walker urged the Democratic Assembly Caucus to practice bipartisanship to solve the problems facing the state Tuesday.
A new website will serve as a gateway to 70 online degree and certificate programs offered by the University of Wisconsin System. Prior to the creation of the site – ecampus.wisconsin.edu – there was no centralized place to search through all the programs offered by the UW System?s 26 campuses.
Dear Editor: I work for the state of Wisconsin and am very concerned about the incoming governor — a career politician who ironically has bought into the philosophy that government is bad and we should privatize the whole thing. Scott Walker and Republicans, using the mantra ?government is bad,? have made it clear that they want to privatize as many public jobs as possible, and they plan on going after many workers beyond state employees.
As a power plant goes green, plenty of companies say they can help. Ground was broken last month on process of converting the Charter Street Plant at UW-Madison from its coal fired roots, to run completely on biomass by late 2013.
Two days after the election, Gov.-elect Scott Walker was greeted with wide smiles, warm handshakes and a standing ovation during a short stop at the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents meeting.
With the election behind us, I hope to turn more attention to some of the original focuses of The Sconz, including my beloved alma matter, the University of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin?s military veterans looking to take advantage of the generous education benefits they qualify for have a new website specifically designed for them. The new Veterans Wisconsin Education Portal was launched last week by a partnership including the University of Wisconsin System, University of Wisconsin-Extension, and the Wisconsin Technical College System.
Louis Butler may finally get a shot at being a federal judge. After two nominations failed to lead to a vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate, Sen. Herb Kohl?s office says the third time will be the charm.
?We expect the majority leader Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev. to give Louis Butler a vote and that he will be confirmed,? Kohl spokeswoman Dawn Schueller says in an e-mail.
Republican Gov.-elect Scott Walker told the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents Thursday (11/4) that he?d seek their help to balance the budget and in bring more jobs to Wisconsin.
Walker got a standing ovation from Regents, most of whom were appointed by Gov. Jim Doyle. Among them was Regent President Charles Pruitt, a Doyle friend and advisor. He says ?the University System can be vital in helping achieve your goal of increasing the number of jobs in Wisconsin and adding 250,000 jobs to our state.”
Wisconsin?s new chief executive is not wasting any time seeking allies.
Governor-elect Scott Walker is asking the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents to help balance the state budget. With a deficit of nearly $3 billion, the Republican told University officials Thursday he and the incoming legislature face a quote ?formidable task,? and a serious challenge ahead. ?But I said repeatedly in the job I currently hold and will say again as governor that great challenges bring great opportunities. And it?s not always going to be easy.?
Wisconsin Gov.-elect Scott Walker asked higher education leaders for help Thursday balancing the state?s tight budget and fulfilling his campaign promise of creating 250,000 jobs. Walker told the University of Wisconsin System regents they will need to use “flexibility, innovation and creativity” to make tight budgets stretch further. Walker has inherited a projected $2.7 billion budget shortfall for the two-year period that begins July 1, 2011. Against that backdrop, leaders of the UW System of 13 four-year universities and 13 two-year colleges are concerned about the level of state tax funding they will receive to educate their 170,000 students. They have already said that budget cuts in recent years have reduced services, increased class sizes and made their salaries less competitive. UW System leaders are seeking changes that would give them freedom to run their operations more efficiently.
Gov.-elect Scott Walker told the UW Board of Regents on Thursday that he supports the University of Wisconsin System?s goal of producing more college graduates, but wants to find creative and innovative ways to do that. And that doesn?t necessarily mean funneling more money into the university system, he said. “I know in these challenging times with these challenging budgets, we wanna make sure we not only maintain but seek in many ways through aggressive initiatives to add more college graduates in the state,” he told the Board. Adding: “It isn?t just always about more money. It?s going to be about finding ways to take the dollar we have, finding ways with flexibility, innovation and creativity, to apply those dollars in the best way possible to meet those goals.”
Governor-elect Scott Walker reached out to state lawmakers from both parties as well as university officials Thursday, two days after defeating Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
Wisconsin Gov.-elect Scott Walker asked higher education leaders for help Thursday balancing the state?s tight budget and fulfilling his campaign promise of creating 250,000 jobs.
Wisconsin citizens may see a change in politics as usual and a renewed focus on economic policy after broad Republican victories in Tuesday?s elections.
University of Wisconsin System leaders on Thursday will tell Governor-elect Scott Walker that the state?s $1.3 billion-a-year investment in public universities is worth increasing.
Wisconsin Gov.-elect Scott Walker asked higher education leaders for help Thursday balancing the state?s tight budget and fulfilling his campaign promise of creating 250,000 jobs.
Quoted: UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, UW-Madison political science professor.
It?s a myth that Wisconsin?s best and brightest leave the state for opportunities elsewhere. That?s according to a report put out by the University of Wisconsin System, which shows 81 percent of alumni who were Wisconsin residents before enrolling stay in the state after graduating from a UW System institution. Overall ? including non-residents ? 67 percent of alumni remained in Wisconsin. At UW-Madison, 69 percent of alumni who were Wisconsin residents as students remained in the state, the report shows, compared with 92 percent at UW-Milwaukee. Noted: survey by political science professor Ken Goldstein.
Hours after winning election as Wisconsin governor, Republican Scott Walker began work on what may prove a harder task — following through on his campaign promises. There were a lot of them, and most involve cutting taxes when Wisconsin is already facing a $2.7 billion budget shortfall over the next two years. Todd Berry, president of the Taxpayers Alliance, said Walker needs to think big and rework the most expensive state programs — school aid, Medicaid, university funding and the prison system — to move the state forward in a more sustainable way. Without change, the state must increase school aid or local property taxes will go up 6 percent to 8 percent, Berry said. Tuition at the University of Wisconsin also is likely to go up, and there?s not enough money to sustain Medicaid and the prison system.
More furlough days for state workers, fewer people on BadgerCare, lower taxes for corporations, employee contributions to state pensions and a challenge to federal health care reform are all likely to be top items on the state agenda in the wake of a Republican wave that swept Democrats entirely out of power in Wisconsin state government.
….It’s less clear what a Walker administration will mean for state funding for the University of Wisconsin, but with Democrats out of power, education committee chairs will again be Republican and that means that Republican Rep. Steve Nass of Whitewater, a staunch and vocal critic of the university system, could again be the chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee. His spokesman, Mike Mikalsen, on Tuesday said Nass would be interested in reclaiming that role.
If he did, he would push for capping college tuition increases and reducing wages and benefits for teachers, professors and administrators.
Quoted: UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin
Quoted: UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
