The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents approved plans on Friday to spend $245 million to convert a coal-fired power plant on the Madison campus to a new plant that burns waste, such as tree trimmings and agricultural crops. The project – one of the largest in the UW Systemâ??s history – stems from a federal consent decree that aims to lower air pollution in Madison.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said Saturday there is a “substance gap” between him and his Republican opponents for governor because he is the only one to have issued detailed plans on creating jobs and slimming down the state budget. Barrett raised a new issue in his convention speech, saying he supported embryonic stem cell research at the University of Wisconsin and said the two Republicans want to “shut that science down.”
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee received the go ahead Friday to fund a preliminary plan for its new School of Freshwater Sciences. The regents approved $4.3 million in state building funds to begin design work for the freshwater sciences building, as well as the Kenwood research complex, at UWM. During the meeting, regents also announced that Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Michael Morgan will step down from that post and join the University of Wisconsin System as the systemâ??s senior vice president for administration and fiscal affairs.
With deep roots in the 20th-century industrial economy, the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce association, the stateâ??s largest and often its most vocal business lobby, will turn to new leadership next year as it adapts to a changing economy. The Madison-based WMC on Thursday announced that its president of the last 25 years, James Haney, will retire next year – just as the organization turns 100. Haney, 65, said in a statement.A native of Amery in northwestern Wisconsin, Haney earned a law degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and went on to work in the paper industry and state government before he joined the WMC in 1984. He became president in 1985.
The UW Board of Regents approved the most expensive single building project in UW-Madison history Friday: the $245 million rebuild of the Charter Street power plant. The university needs to bring the plant into compliance with the Clean Air Act under a 2007 court agreement. The project will replace coal-fired boilers with new natural gas boilers and a boiler that runs on fuel derived from wood and agricultural waste, or biomass.
A top aide to Gov. Jim Doyle accepted a position Friday as chief operating officer for the University of Wisconsin System, where his pay will increase by $108,000. Michael Morgan, Department of Administration secretary since December 2006, will earn $245,000 as senior vice president for administration and fiscal affairs for the system of 13 four-year universities and 13 two-year colleges. His salary as administration secretary, where he oversaw the state budget and advised the governor on policy, was $136,944.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who hopes to make Wisconsin history by keeping the governorâ??s office in Democratic control for more than two terms, told party faithful Saturday that he has more substance than his Republican opponents. Barrett said he would also defend embryonic stem cell research at the University of Wisconsin, while the Republicans would try to shut it down.
The University of Wisconsin System is likely to take a keen interest in the fall elections, after another round of tuition hikes.In Milwaukee Thursday the UW Board of Regents voted to raise tuition more than 5-percent this fall, for most in-state students at four-year campuses. The university says the additional revenue is needed to partly offset decreases in state aid.
UW Regents have cleared a tuition hike for state universities. Prior to the vote regents heard the presentation breaking down the proposed $5.6 billion dollar annual operating budget. Regent and current student Aaron Wingad talked of how the UW system has to make up for shortfalls from state government. Although far from perfect, Wingad said the budget does â??a reasonable job of spreading the burdenâ?¦among students, faculty and programs alike.â?
University of Wisconsin System regents are expected to discuss a report Friday that recommends salary increases and changes to the universityâ??s compensation system
The president of Wisconsinâ??s largest business group plans to retire. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce issued a statement Thursday saying 65-year-old Jim Haney, the groupâ??s president and chief executive officer, intends to step down in 2011.
The University of Wisconsinâ??s two-year colleges could soon have the power to offer limited four-year degrees under a plan aimed at serving adult students in mostly rural areas.
The University of Wisconsinâ??s two-year colleges could soon have the power to offer limited four-year degrees under a plan aimed at serving adult students in mostly rural areas.
The proposed bachelor of applied arts and sciences degree would be geared toward “place-bound students” who have earned associates degrees but canâ??t transfer to finish at four-year universities. Courses would emphasize skills like problem-solving and communication that local employers say are needed to improve their work force.
University officials say the degree would be a cheaper and better alternative to distance learning programs offered by for-profit colleges such as the University of Phoenix. The Board of Regents will consider the plan during a meeting at UW-Milwaukee on Thursday.
…the local institution most vulnerable to legislative micro-management is UW-Madison. So much so that former Chancellor John Wiley, on departing two years ago, blasted some state legislators and the stateâ??s big business lobby for doing genuine harm to UWâ??s ability to remain a world-class institution with their small-minded tinkering.
When Wiley visited our offices back then, I inferred from him that he saw an anti-intellectual subtext in the struggle between the two ends of State Street. Looking back, that anti-UW fervor feels now like it vaguely presaged todayâ??s tea party movement.
The Tea Party approach that reminds UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden of several 19th century political movements.”They are not really a political party yet, and they might never be,” he said. “They fall more in line with the Progressive and temperance movements.”
The University of Wisconsin System is seeking approval for a $35.9 million one-year budget for its ongoing plan to install a new payroll and benefits system.
Salaries for University of Wisconsin System faculty and academic staff have fallen so far behind their peers that they must be increased quickly to remain competitive, a report warned Monday. Average salaries for almost every category of academic employee are now behind what comparable schools pay their employees, a 19-member commission created by UW System President Kevin Reilly concluded.
The way psychopathic prisoners play games resembles patterns shown by people whose brains have been damaged by such medical conditions as strokes and tumors, according to an intriguing set of experiments conducted by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.
The research, published in this monthâ??s issue of Neuropsychologia, is the latest contribution to a growing trove of evidence challenging long-standing notions about the nature and roots of psychopathic behavior.
Quoted: Researchers Michael Koenigs, assistant professor of psychiatry in the School of Medicine and Public Health, and Joseph Newman, professor of psychology.
Gov. Jim Doyle announced Friday that he has appointed Ted Kellner, chairman and CEO of Fiduciary Management, to replace Ulice Payne Jr., on the Bradley Center board. Kellner is a a well-known supporter and benefactor to the University of Wisconsin-Madison athletic department.
A victory for animal rights groups this week could pose a frightening prospect for UW-Madison scientists. A judge Wednesday appointed a special prosecutor to decide whether nine scientists and officials should be criminally charged â?? which could mean a fine or jail time â?? under a state law that prohibits killing animals by decompression. The scientists used sheep to study decompression sickness, or the bends. Multiple sheep died in the studies, which were funded in part by the U.S. Navy to learn how to prevent the malady in divers. Officials at UW-Madison said they were aware of the state law but didnâ??t believe it applied to them because of an exemption for scientific research in the state statutes.
Auditors should look into whether the University of Wisconsin health system may be improperly funding abortion training for medical residents, state Justice Department officials said in a letter released Thursday. Wisconsin law prohibits state agencies from paying doctors or medical facilities for performing abortions. The University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Authority pays medical residents specializing in gynecology to train at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, where they can choose to undertake abortion training.
Auditors should look into whether the University of Wisconsin health system may be improperly funding abortion training for medical residents, state Justice Department officials said in a letter released Thursday.
Scooting around town just got more expensive for some of Madisonâ??s most cash-strapped motorists â?? or maybe their parents. Wisconsin this week officially became the 49th state to require auto insurance for its drivers, leaving New Hampshire as the only state sticking to a live-free-or-die philosophy on its roads. But the law also requires scooters or mopeds to carry the same level of insurance as any other vehicle, according to officials with the state Commissioner of Insurance and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau: a minimum liability of $50,000 per person, $100,000 per crash and $15,000 for property damage. That means hundreds of college students will have to pony up for what has long been an inexpensive ride, something state Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, contends was never the Legislatureâ??s intent.
Hereâ??s a bit of good news for a beautiful May day. Wisconsin added 16,400 jobs between March and April 2010 – the largest monthly increase in employment in more than a decade.
A new report from the UW-Madisonâ??s Center on Wisconsin Strategy even says the stateâ??s economy “may have finally turned a corner.”
Noted: Fast-forward to last fall. Ross had a hunch when UW-Madison allowed one of its more highly regarded political science professors, Ken Goldstein, to conduct three statewide polls for the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, a conservative think tank. Goldstein received roughly $18,000 for his work.
Gov. Jim Doyle announced Monday that 59 Wisconsin businesses responded to a request for information to supply biomass fuel for the Charter Street Heating Plant in Madison.
Gov. Jim Doyle says dozens of Wisconsin businesses are interested in supplying biomass products to help fuel a University of Wisconsin-Madison power plant.
On Friday more than 1,000 Republican Party faithful will arrive in Milwaukee for the 2010 state GOP convention, where it is expected they will endorse Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker for governor. This, despite polls that show Walker and former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann in a close race for the nomination. While it is unclear what weight the endorsement carries in this anti-establishment year, backing the wrong candidate come the September primary would be — at a minimum — embarrassing.”It certainly would cast a doubt on the process,” said Charles Franklin, UW-Madison political science professor. “It would show that in a certain sense, the party leadership is out of touch with the voters.”
An inventive singer-songwriter named Peter Case who likes to play with words wrote a great line: â??We were too young not to know better.â?
That came to mind recently as many of the supposedly responsible grown-ups at Marquette University were making fools of themselves while their students demonstrated against discrimination and hypocrisy.
At issue was the action by Marquette President Father Robert Wild rescinding a job offer to Seattle University professor Jodi Oâ??Brien, who was recruited by Marquette to become dean of its College of Arts and Sciences.
Political theater is not unusual for the first night of a convention, said UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin. “I would imagine we will see a shift in tomorrowâ??s speeches, with the state candidates bringing it home to Wisconsin,” Franklin said.
It was June of last year when Gov. Jim Doyle gave faculty and academic staff across the University of Wisconsin System the right to take a spot at the bargaining table.Within the past week, faculty on two campuses decided to pull up a chair.
UW-Eau Claire faculty voted to form a union Wednesday under a right established when Gov. Jim Doyle signed the 2009-2011 state budget last summer. UW-Eau Claire became the second University of Wisconsin System campus to choose to unionize, following UW-Superior last week.
Faculty at University of Wisconsin campuses in Eau Claire and Superior are the first academic workers to form unions in the state. UW-Eau Claire faculty members voted 233-87 in an election that ended Wednesday to be represented by AFT-Wisconsin, a statewide labor union. Their colleagues at UW-Superior voted overwhelmingly last week to join AFT-Wisconsin, too.
Faculty at University of Wisconsin campuses in Eau Claire and Superior are the first academic workers to form unions in the state.
Ben Masel strolls down a downtown street on a cool spring day, takes a hit on a joint, holds it in, then puffs out an aromatic cloud.
â??Iâ??m certainly feeling something,â? he says.
Masel, a longtime marijuana legalization advocate who has provided expert testimony in court on marijuana issues, is aware that he could be approached at any time by a cop. But heâ??s not worried. Heâ??s not breaking any laws.
The State Claims Board said Tuesday it will pay an Oak Creek man who spent nearly 13 years in prison the maximum $25,000 as compensation for his wrongful conviction. The board found that Chaunte Ott “has provided clear and convincing evidence” of his innocence. As part of Ottâ??s claim for compensation, the Wisconsin Innocence Project also had presented evidence that the two men who implicated themselves and Ott in Payneâ??s murder had fabricated their testimony under intense police pressure. Testing years after the crime showed that none of the three menâ??s DNA was on the murdered teenager.
** Faculty at UW-Parkside voted Friday to take the unusual step of dissolving the institutionâ??s Teacher Education Department and suspending further admission to the schoolâ??s teacher preparation program. For those who donâ??t follow the world of academia, thatâ??s a drastic move.
** Faculty members at UW-Superior voted overwhelmingly to unionize and will now be represented by a campus chapter of the American Federation of Teachers. Gov. Jim Doyle gave members of the University of Wisconsin System the right to unionize last year when he signed the state budget. The vote at UW-Superior was the first on unionization within the UW System, but AFT has organizing drives under way at other institutions, with a vote upcoming at UW-Eau Claire.
** Is higher education a benefit an individual should pay for? Or is it a public good that should be supported by your tax dollars?
Jessica Schwalenberg has been appointed to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents. Gov. Jim Doyle announced the appointment Friday. Schwalenberg will replace Kevin Opgenorth as the nontraditional student representative. Her appointment is effective immediately and will expire May 1, 2012.
Scott Walkerâ??s position on the Arizona immigration may speak to a larger divide on the issue within Wisconsin Republicans, said Barry Burden, University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor. He said Walkerâ??s critical comments of the law were a surprise.
This year’s retirements create 17 open seats in the Assembly, where Democrats hold a 52-46 majority, and three open seats in the Senate, which Democrats hold a majority as well, 18-15. Still, the retirements likely wonâ??t have much impact on the balance of power next session, said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin.
A $630 million state fund created 10 years ago to improve the health of state residents is being administered largely as intended but could benefit from clearer and more specific policies, a state audit found. The auditâ??s conclusions, released Wednesday, were welcomed by both a critic and a supporter of the way the fund is being spent. The fund was created when Blue Cross Blue Shield United of Wisconsin converted from a nonprofit health insurance company to a for-profit corporation in 2000. To reimburse taxpayers for tax breaks it received as a nonprofit, the company provided $630.4 million to the state. That money was used to create endowments at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. Tension has focused on whether enough of the money is being spent on public health initiatives, as opposed to core needs of the medical schools such as equipment and staff recruitment.
Dear Arne Duncan: You are off to a great start as President Barack Obamaâ??s high-impact education secretary. Keep on pushing Wisconsin and other states to improve and reform public education in bold ways. We welcome you back to Madison on Saturday for spring commencement ceremonies at UW-Madison, where youâ??ll deliver a morning address at the Kohl Center…Keep pressing for more accountability, higher standards and greater innovation in education here in Wisconsin and across the nation.
Gov. Jim Doyle will deliver the commencement address to University of Wisconsin law school graduates on Friday. Doyle is expected to highlight lessons from his long and distinguished legal career in the 1 p.m. speech at Monona Terrace.
Itâ??s smarter for Neumann to not seek the endorsement than to try and lose, said University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin.
Gov. Jim Doyle will deliver the commencement address to University of Wisconsin law school graduates on Friday.Doyle is expected to highlight lessons from his long and distinguished legal career in the 1 p.m. speech at Monona Terrace.
The first University of Wisconsin campus will hold a vote of its faculty to unionize Thursday and Friday.
Wisconsinâ??s two medical schools will strengthen policies to avoid conflicts of interest in the way grants for health projects are awarded. The Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health will require members of grant committees to be absent during discussions of proposals in which they have a financial stake. The policies come in response to a Legislative Audit Bureau report that found some awards went to organizations affiliated with committee members or to researchers who were members.
When Bud Jordahl was inducted into the Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame in 2005, a fellow member of the 1000 Friends of Wisconsin board, Steve Born, was asked to review the accomplishments of the former director of the agency that led to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Born did not have to wax poetic or pad the introduction of Jordahl, who has died in his 84th year. The basic details were more than sufficient to impress.
A press release sent to my in-box Wednesday afternoon noted Gov. Jim Doyle signed Senate Bill 431 into law during a ceremony on the UW-Eau Claire campus.
The legislation, which prohibits the establishment of bogus degree mills or the use of false academic credentials in Wisconsin, was authored by Sen. Fred Risser D-Madison and Rep. Kim Hixson D-Whitewater.
“This legislation is designed to protect employers, consumers and the quality of higher education in the State of Wisconsin,” Hixson, a UW-Whitewater professor who serves as the Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities, trumpeted in the release.
Youâ??ve got to understand what it was like here at home during the Vietnam War. How rapidly society was changing. How deep and broad opposition to the war grew and how sharp the backlash was. Soldiers returning from their time â??in countryâ? entered an altered landscape.
Quoted: UW-Madison professor of educational psychology Robert Enright, a pioneer in the study of forgiveness.
Frustrated with the ever-increasing costs of a college education?
The folks at the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities passed along an interesting tidbit: The “net tuition” tuition minus financial aid to attend a WAICU institution actually went down for 2008-09, the most recent year for which federal figures are available.
The stateâ??s effort to collect thousands of missing DNA profiles has paid off for a Milwaukee man who had been released â?? but not officially cleared â?? in a 1984 rape and murder. Another suspect was recently identified through DNA testing and has confessed to the crime for which Robert Lee Stinson spent 23 years in prison, Byron Lichstein, an attorney with the Wisconsin Innocence Project who represents Stinson, said Monday.
There wasnâ??t as much fun in Wisconsin last year and â?? no surprise â?? the killjoy was the economy. Figures released Sunday by the state Department of Tourism show vacation, convention and other visitor spending was $12.1 billion in 2009, down by more than $1 billion, or 7.8 percent compared to 2008. â??The downturn we experienced was not as severe as seen in other areas,â? said Deb Archer, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau. â??We continue to attract visitors to our community through key drivers, such as the UW-Madison and convention, event and meeting attendance at our great facilities.â?
A progressive Madison institution is leaving the state Assembly.Democratic Rep. Spencer Black, who was first elected in 1984, told the Wisconsin State Journal on Sunday he will not seek re-election. Before serving in the Legislature, Black was a graduate student at UW-Madison, where he received masterâ??s degrees in urban and regional planning and public policy and administration.
The stateâ??s effort to collect thousands of missing DNA profiles has paid off for a Milwaukee man who had been released â?? but not officially cleared â?? in a 1984 rape and murder. The perpetrator was recently identified and has confessed to the crime for which Robert Lee Stinson spent 23 years in prison, said Byron Lichstein, an attorney with the Wisconsin Innocence Project who represents Stinson.
Intervening in a matter of intense interest to his son, Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker has asked legislative auditors to review whether student government at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has been given enough power. After receiving Deckerâ??s request by telephone, the Legislative Audit Bureau has started an inquiry into whether the school has complied with state law and UW policy on student control and oversight of fee budgets. Deckerâ??s son Jeffrey Decker, a former student senator, has spent years accusing UW-Stevens Point employees of reducing the role of students in deciding how their fees are spent.
Qouted: Political scientist Charles Franklin of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Some parents accused Gov. Jim Doyle of disappointing their children and shortchanging the middle class after he announced his signature college aid program would favor families with incomes of less than $80,000, e-mail messages show.
A high-speed rail line connecting Wisconsinâ??s two largest cities will make its Madison stop near the Capitol at Monona Terrace, Gov. Jim Doyle announced Thursday. The convention center stop was chosen over three other Madison locations: the airport, the Kohl Center on the University of Wisconsin campus and a site just east of downtown.
The Doyle Depot? Madison will have a new high speed rail station downtown, and if the cityâ??s Mayor has his way, it will be named after Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle.
