With a deeper projected budget deficit for the 2009-11 biennium, the Department of Administration has called for even further spending cuts from state agencies, including the University of Wisconsin System.
In 30 cases – nearly 10% – requests for simple records were denied or ignored, according to the audit by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Dear Editor: Despite the economic hard times that are affecting private colleges and universities just like every other part of our nation, the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is not seeking taxpayer support for our members. Instead, WAICU hopes that Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature will consider increasing financial aid for all Wisconsin college students.
(Wegenke is president of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities)
Bruce Pluckhahn, a Wauwatosa native and UW-Madison grad who became a Hall of Famer for his tireless work for the sport of bowling, died Tuesday in Milwaukee. He was 84.
MADISON, Wis. – Local governments across Wisconsin denied, ignored or did not properly fill three out of every 10 requests for basic public documents, according to an audit released Wednesday.
The audit was conducted by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. It involved 318 public records requests filed primarily by newspaper reporters in 65 counties in September and October.
Local governments across Wisconsin denied, ignored or did not properly fill three out of every 10 requests for basic public documents, according to an audit released Wednesday.
The audit was conducted by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. It involved 318 public records requests filed primarily by newspaper reporters in 65 counties in September and October.
A statewide public records audit found that one in 10 requests for basic documents were denied or ignored by local governments.
Another two in 10 requests were fulfilled only after records custodians required the requesters to identify themselves or explain why they wanted the documents, in violation of state law.
The audit, conducted by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, of which I am president, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication, involved 318 public records requests filed in 65 counties.
University officials celebrated the past 10 years of breakthrough discoveries in the area of stem-cell research by James Thomson at the Overture Center for the Arts Tuesday.
James Thomson, an anatomy professor at the University of Wisconsin, spoke at the Overture Center for the Arts Tuesday night as part of the 10-year anniversary of his achievements in human embryonic stem cell research.
It’s no secret that many with ties to higher education in Wisconsin were giddy upon learning Nov. 4 that Democrats had secured control of the state Assembly, putting the party in charge of both houses of the state Legislature and the governor’s office for the first time since 1986.
University of Wisconsin System leaders have been frustrated for years by what they perceive to be inadequate financial support from the state.
Quoted: Howard Schweber, UW-Madison professor of political science and law, and Noel Radomski, director of the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education
State Supreme Court Justice Patrick Crooks said tonight that public financing is only part of the solution to fixing what ails judicial elections in Wisconsin.
Crooks, who ran unopposed in 2006 for a second 10-year term on the stateâ??s high court, said among the reforms heâ??d like to see is a move of judicial elections from their traditional April date to the fall election to draw more public interest.
â??We should tie these races to those races where there is a larger turnout of voters,â? Crooks said, calling the 19 percent turnout for the Supreme Court election this April â??something we should all be ashamed of.â?
Crooks made his remarks at a discussion titled â??Justice, Money & Politicsâ? at the UW-Madison Law School. Crooks took part in a panel that included his fellow Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, Wisconsin State Journal editorial page editor Scott Milfred, and Wisconsin Democracy Campaign executive director Mike McCabe.
Faculty retention is a hot topic at the university right now. Recruitment and retention was one of the main topics Chancellor Biddy Martin spoke about during her first public address to the university community, impressing upon us the significance of this topic. Two key components of recruitment and retention are benefits and salary.
Chancellor Biddy Martin said Monday she will aim to develop a relationship between the university and Wisconsinâ??s largest business interest group that will benefit the state.
University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin said Monday she will continue to work with the stateâ??s largest business group, three months after her predecessor condemned the organizationâ??s policies.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin said Monday she’s building a relationship with the state’s largest business group, which her predecessor has slammed as an impediment to economic development.
Martin said she’s had separate meetings in recent weeks with the board of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and its president, Jim Haney. She said she’s tried to focus on common interests of improving the state’s economy.
Just weeks before Martin took over for John Wiley on Sept. 1, Wiley published an essay in Madison Magazine saying WMC had been taken over by “political extremists” who know little about creating high-wage jobs.
A poll released by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute on Friday revealed a deep level of distrust between elected officials and their constituents, in addition to an overall concern for Wisconsinâ??s economy.
Beloit College is the sort of intimate liberal arts school depicted in films, where the college president lives across the street from the dormitories and students call their professors by first name.
That is why the announcement earlier this month that the college is eliminating 40 positions â?? about 10 percent of the staff â?? to cover a $1 million budget deficit hit the campus so hard.
In the previous blog I marveled at the UW-Madisonâ??s ability to find jobs for out-of-work liberals. I noted that Louis Butler, twice unseated by the voters of Wisconsin after two gubernatorial appointments to the Supreme Court, got a nice gig at the Law School. Time to mention that Paul Soglin also sinks his jowls into the UWâ??s feed trough.
When it comes to drinking, it seems, no state keeps pace with Wisconsin. This state, long famous for its breweries, has led the nation in binge drinking in every year since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began its surveys on the problem more than a decade ago. Binge drinking is defined as five drinks in a sitting for a man, four for a woman.
Now some Wisconsin health officials and civic leaders are calling for the state to sober up. A coalition called All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education started a campaign last week to push for tougher drunken driving laws, an increase in screening for alcohol abuse at health clinics and a greater awareness of drinking problems generally.
The group, led by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, criticized the state as having lenient alcohol laws and assailed a mindset that accepts, even celebrates, getting drunk.
â??Our goal is to dramatically change the laws, culture and behaviors in Wisconsin,â? said Dr. Robert N. Golden, the dean of the medical school, calling the state â??an island of excessive consumption.â? He said state agencies would use a $12.6 million federal grant to step up screening, intervention and referral services at 20 locations around Wisconsin.
The deeper than expected state budget cuts are a big concern at University of Wisconsin-Madison, which also might see less money from the private UW Foundation in the near future.
But despite Wisconsin’s worst deficit ever, UW-Madison officials said they’re still hopeful they can increase faculty pay at the same time they make an overall cut.
UW-Madison said one of its biggest challenges is lower private revenue from the UW Foundation. Its earnings are down nearly 20 percent, or $300 million, this year.
The Wisconsin legislature is getting ready to pick apart the state budget again. This time around, the ailing economy is causing a hole as wide as $5 billion.
“It’s very, very significant,” said Sen. Mark Miller, (D) 16th District. “It’s probably as bad or close to as bad as any the state’s encountered in a generation.”
Sen. Miller is hoping tough economic times will inspire his fellow legislators to make tough decisions. With a $5 billion budget hole, he says everything is on the table.
One of the University of Wisconsin Systemâ??s biggest critics in the legislature is stepping down as chair of the Assemblyâ??s Committee on Colleges and Universities. Thatâ??s because control of the Assembly has shifted from Republicans to Democrats.
But Representative Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) still wants a say in how U-W officials spend their money, and is advocating for fewer campuses in the state. Itâ??s possible Nass could stay on the committee. Regardless, Nass says he wants the U-W to cut costs by closing some of its 26 campuses. He says the same number of students could be served by consolidating campuses, while saving money. (Third item.)
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents President Kevin Reilly recently announced the UW System must â??tightenâ? its hiring policies in response to current economic instability.
The current fiscal crisis has the UW System facing many potential spending cuts, including decreasing the amount of faculty it hires.
New controls are being placed on hiring at University of Wisconsin System campuses.
A directive from System President Kevin Reilly calls for all hiring decisions on UW campuses to be made directly by chancellors. System spokesman David Giroux says it’s a significantly higher level of control. Those decisions are typically made by department heads.
Giroux says chancellors have been told to evaluate if a hire is essential. He says they have a good track record with making such decisions, while also protecting the quality of a UW educatio
Biddy Martin is obviously a busy woman. Nearly every group on campus has scheduled a meeting with her, and everyone wants her. This is the first University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor in nearly 20 years who has not come from former Chancellor Donna Shalalaâ??s family of university administration, and everyone is curious as to how she operates. In fact, Martin is curious as to how people in her position handle the constant demands for attention and remarked upon that burden during a speech to area business leaders on Nov. 3.
While his role as chair of the Committee on Colleges and Universities will end in January, state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, plans to continue to be active in education policymaking.
Gov. Jim Doyle and the Democratic majorities in the state Senate and Assembly have options to deal with the $5 billion projected budget shortfall announced Tuesday. The catch is, none of them is pretty.
Battered by a harsh economy, Wisconsin’s tax revenues are projected to go down in each of the next two years â?? only the second time that’s happened in the more than four decades on record.
UW Health officials have unveiled AWARE: All Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education. Still think Wisconsin doesn’t have a drinking problem? Check out some numbers. Dr. Jeff Grossman is president and CEO of the UW Medical Foundation. “In 2005, underage drinkers consumed almost 17 percent of all alcohol consumed in Wisconsin, for a total of nearly $500 million,” Grossman said a Capitol press conference on Tuesday, where Grossman noted that Wisconsin leads the nation in rates of drinking by high school students.
Gov. Jim Doyle announced a re-evaluation of the state budget shortfall Tuesday, projecting a deficit of $5 billion within the next 2 years.
State consumer protection officials are warning of a local door-to-door sales scam touting $20 books purportedly being sold to benefit the UW Hospital.
An out-of-state crew is apparently canvassing neighborhoods in Wisconsin including areas of Middleton and Madison, claiming they are UW students or just live down the street and also apparently using names of residents as ones who’ve purchased the books when in fact they haven’t.
The Wisconsin biennial budget deficit is expected to drop further into the red than first expected, Gov. Jim Doyle announced Tuesday.
A new coalition said Tuesday it would push to toughen Wisconsin’s lax drunken driving laws, try to force insurers to cover injuries in such accidents and battle underage drinking. We welcome this new group, which calls itself All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education, to the fight. The Journal Sentinel continues to highlight the need every day on Page 1B as part of its “Wasted in Wisconsin” series.
The coalition, led by UW Health in Madison, is encouraging health care organizations, law enforcement, school groups and advocacy groups to join with it to try to reduce the tragic results of excessive drinking.
For the past several years, the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents has demanded domestic partner benefits for its employees in its proposed budget. Sadly, the state Legislature has repeatedly blocked this request. But with Democrats winning control of both the state Senate and Assembly on Nov. 4, bringing domestic partner benefits to the university system must be a high priority for state lawmakers when the Legislature reconvenes in January.
Gov. Jim Doyle said Tuesday he would do “everything humanly possible” to avoid general sales or income tax increases to deal with a budget shortfall that could pass $5 billion.
The “serious and extraordinary” problem, caused by a drop in tax collections and a national recession, will lead to state job and other cuts, Doyle said.
He did not specify what the cuts would be, but said savings would have to be found at University of Wisconsin and in public school aid. Doyle said he hoped there wouldnâ??t have to be large tuition increases at the university.
MADISON â?? The sinking economy may push up an effort to strengthen Wisconsin’s drunken driving laws.
Robert Golden, dean of the University of Wisconsin’s School of Public Health, said the state’s alcohol problem has an economic cost to society, which burdens the public at a time when the economy is troubled.
A group of health care providers is forming a coalition to push for new laws to fight alcohol abuse.
The All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education â?? AWARE â?? coalition will focus on three initiatives: reducing drunken driving, decreasing underage drinking, and prohibiting health insurance companies from denying claims for accident victims who test positive for alcohol and other drugs.
The Senate Majority Leader says the budget will be among the top priorities of Democrats in the upcoming session.
State Senator Russ Decker (D-Weston) says he’s already talking to the Governor about what needs to be done to help fight a growing budget deficit. The Governor now says the state could face a $5 billion shortfall. Decker says many options are already being looked at.
When it comes to heavy drinking, Wisconsin is regularly at the top of the national rankings.
With that in mind, UW Health announced a sweeping, state-wide coalition Tuesday, to combat alcohol abuse.
They’re calling for law-changing reforms to address the state’s drinking problem.
Kurt Leswing, a UW-Madison senior killed in Hong Kong by a drunken driver Friday, is being remembered as a wonderful friend and excellent student who was easygoing and cared about others.
A group of health care providers is forming a coalition to push for new laws to fight alcohol abuse.
The All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education coalition wants legislation to curb drunken driving and underage drinking and to force insurers to cover injuries caused by drunken driving.
Democrats fared well in many state elections last week, with the party gaining full control of state governments (winning majorities in both chambers of state legislatures where Democrats hold the governorâ??s office) in three places where Republicans had led at least one part of those branches. The three states are Delaware, New York, and Wisconsin, according to stateline.org.
In Wisconsin, Rep. Stephen L. Nass will no longer lead the Assemblyâ??s Committee on Colleges and Universities. The Republican has been an outspoken critic of the University of Wisconsin, criticizing its decision to adopt a freshman-admissions policy directing campuses to consider the race and ethnicity of applicants. He also called for the system to fire an instructor who had argued that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, were orchestrated by the U.S. government.
Wisconsinâ??s new Democratic leaders say the faltering economy will put a damper on their biggest ideas.
So for now, state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, says the focus will be on items with smaller price tags, like giving fringe benefits to domestic partners of University of Wisconsin employees.
A group of health care providers is forming a first-of-its-kind coalition that it hopes will lead to sweeping changes in state law to combat problems of excessive drinking.
The group hopes new legislation will fight drunken driving, compel insurers to cover injuries caused by drunken driving, and decrease underage drinking.
UW Health will announce the coalition, named All-Wisconsin Alcohol Risk Education – or AWARE – at a news conference at 2:30 p.m. today at the state Capitol. In addition to presenting their potential legislative agenda and statistics about drinking in Wisconsin, organizers plan to encourage members of health care organizations, law enforcement, school groups and advocacy groups to join their efforts. The Legislature reconvenes in January, and already some lawmakers are planning to introduce bills to tackle the subject.
The U.S. economic downturn and $3-billion state budget shortfall are affecting the U-Wâ??s plans to attract and keep faculty.
For several years now, the University of Wisconsin has aimed to hire and retain high-caliber professors. Plans have included upping the salary range to better compete with rival universities in the Midwest, including Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. On average, professors in those schools make between $5,000 to $15,000 more a year than those at the UW. (Second item.)
Wisconsin’s new Democratic leaders say the faltering economy will put a damper on their biggest ideas. State Representative Mark Pocan of Madison says right now the focus will be on items with smaller price tags, like giving fringe benefits to domestic partners of state employees.
UW-Madison is one of the few large campuses in the Midwest not to offer such benefits. Spokesman David Giroux says it makes it harder to recruit and keep top faculty members. Domestic partner benefits are projected to cost about $670,000 a year. Giroux says the money will returned in the form of federal grants obtained by the major researchers who come or stay because of the benefits. (Audio of State Rep. Mark Pocan discuss this issue during his appearance on this past week’s Madison Forum.)
A state legislative leader says it will take more than tougher laws to change drinking and driving habits in Wisconsin.
There’s an increased push at the Capitol to crack down on repeat drunk drivers, but State Senate President Fred Risser (D-Madison) says “all the laws in the world aren’t going to stop drunk driving.”
The state’s public employee pension fund lost another $10â??billion in October alone, making it a virtual certainty that – barring a dramatic turnaround in the stock market – retirees’ pension checks will shrink next year.
State Democrats, after besting the Republicans in Tuesdayâ??s elections to earn a majority in the state Assembly, now have control of the governorâ??s mansion and the Legislature, but their troubles have just begun as they now face a $3 billion budget deficit.
The University of Wisconsin System Trust Funds endowment is down about 19% since the beginning of the year because of the downturn in the economy, but officials expect they will still be able to meet funding commitments for the year.
The trust funds are fueled nearly completely by gifts and bequests left in donors’ wills. Most of the money is restricted, meaning donors have left specific directions as to how their money should be spent. Some of the money goes to fund scholarships in specific academic departments or research in particular areas, such as cancer.
The University of Wisconsin System needs to come up with new ways to make the case for higher faculty pay in light of the economic crisis, Regent David Walsh said today.
UW System faculty are paid 10% less than peers at comparable universities, Walsh said, but legislators have not responded to close the gap and they won’t start now.
The University of Wisconsin System is continuing the process of filling chancellor positions for three UW campuses, with UW-River Falls expected to announce their finalists within the next two weeks.
Democrats took hold of the state Legislature with relative ease Tuesday but now comes the hard part – repairing an at least $3 billion projected budget hole and a shaken state economy.
With the fall of the Republican Assembly in Tuesday’s elections, Democrats now take control – and responsibility – for the steering of the course of a state where factories are closing, voters are fearful and government could be facing its largest budget shortfall in years.
Quoted: Charles Franklin, political science.
Wisconsin Democrats rode a wave of national discontent Tuesday to win complete control of the state Legislature for the first time in more than a decade.
With a sitting Democratic governor in Jim Doyle, the stage looks set for the party to dominate state politics.
Quoted: University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist Katherine Cramer Walsh put it a bit more bluntly:
“It’s more of an anti-incumbent thing than a pro-Democratic Party thing. Such a huge part of that was just (a mentality of) throwing the bums out,” she said.
MADISON â?? Election workers and observers reported routine problems across the state but said, all in all, the process went remarkably well.
“My sense is things went very smoothly,” said University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Katherine Cramer Walsh. “It seemed like there were a few glitches here and there but nothing systematic and nothing nefarious.”
MADISON, Wis. — State Democrats are cheering over a gain of five seats in the state Assembly in Tuesday’s election, which gives Democrats power over the statehouse for the first time since the late 1980s.
On Wednesday, Gov. Jim Doyle said he is encouraged by a change in hands from Republicans to Democrats in the Assembly.
“This is quite a remarkable moment for us in Wisconsin. It’s the result of the people of the state of Wisconsin speaking yesterday very strongly about where they want this state to go,” Doyle said.
Wisconsinâ??s balance of power shifted late last night as Democrats gained the majority of seats in the state Assembly for the first time in 14 years.
Fifty-two Democrats, 46 Republicans and one independent were projected winners in the Assembly and will be joined in the Capitol by 18 Democrats and 15 Republicans in the state Senate.
Wisconsin Democrats, who have controlled the state Senate since 2006, gained control of the state Assembly Tuesday night and will effectively command Wisconsinâ??s Legislature for the upcoming session.
According to WisPolitics.com, Democrats picked up five key seats from the 2nd, 42nd, 57th, 68th and 92nd Districts. They needed to gain at least three seats to take the majority.
Democrats pulled off an impressive sweep Tuesday in Wisconsin, propelling Barack Obama to the biggest win by a presidential contender here in more than four decades and retaking the state Assembly for the first time in 14 years.
UW-Madison has always claimed to be a forward-thinking, progressive school often responsible for shaping new beliefs on the national level. However, within the dialogue of same-sex marriage, UW-Madison has looked almost unrecognizable in its inaction regarding domestic partner benefits. University officials mandate forward thinking in UW-Madisonâ??s strategic plan, claiming, â??as progress is made, conditions evolve and the environment around us changesâ??we need to refresh and update our strategic priorities.â? Still, campus employees are denied domestic partner benefits, despite other universities and groups taking initiative in this area of great concern.
