On any given day, Lavern Georgson could be helping a farmer with a sick cow or troubleshooting a problem with someone’s backyard Koi pond.
Proposed budget cuts threaten UW Extension agents
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Category: State budget
UW-Madison could not sell University Ridge Golf Course for revenue until 2021
Capital Times
University Ridge, a top-ranked public golf course at County Road PD and County Road M in the city of Madison, was developed and given to the university by the University of Wisconsin Foundation in 1991, university officials reported in response to a records request … the terms of this gift contain an automatic reversion provision that returns the property to the Foundation if sold within 30 years of the gift, Lisa Hull, a special assistant to the vice chancellor in the Office of University Relations, said in an email.
Records reveal state budget office’s rationale for cutting Wisconsin Idea
Madison.com
Walker’s office and his Department of Administration released the documents Friday in response to a State Journal records request made three months ago. They include previously released emails from UW officials asking the budget office as early as Jan. 20 — two weeks before Walker introduced his 2015-17 budget — and again on Jan. 29 to restore the Wisconsin Idea language.
Tax cuts shouldn’t trump UW funding
Wisconsin State Journal
Staff editorial: The Legislature could delay a $5 property tax cut to fund more UW aid. Most people wouldn’t notice the modest change. The Legislature could slow a sweetheart tax cut for manufacturers. It could accept more federal money for Medicaid. What our state leaders shouldn’t do is weaken UW System just as the economy is improving. Doing so will slow our state in the global race for knowledge, entrepreneurs, private investment and good-paying jobs.
Tenure, shared governance at UW face uncertain future as Legislature tinkers with Scott Walker budget
Madison.com
Grant Petty, a UW–Madison atmospheric sciences professor and president of PROFS Inc., tells the paper taking away faculty tenure and shared governance is like asking the Green Bay Packers to play without pads … such a move would strip professors and staff of basic tenets of job stability and satisfaction that have made UW a go-to destination and would cause an exodus of top talent … UW System president Ray Cross has vowed to resign if those key policies go away, an expression of his confidence that they won’t.
Commentary by Chancellor Debbie Ford: Investing in UW-Parkside builds talent for our region
Racine Journal-Times
Saturday, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside celebrates the most students ready to graduate in our history. Close to 500 men and women are eligible to participate in our spring commencement. In the past five years, we have awarded more undergraduate and graduate degrees than during any other five-year period.
Brent Smith: Commitment to higher ed lacking in state budget plan
LaCrosse Tribune
The controversy over how to fund the University of Wisconsin System goes on. The current proposal is for a cut of $300 million and a tuition freeze. It’s clear that the proposal as it stands will have a negative impact on the quality of education in our universities.
Wineke: Legislators need to prove education is top priority
Channel3000.com
In the meantime, no one thinks the lawmakers can undo the $300 million cut the governor wants to give the University of Wisconsin schools. They have decided the added flexibility Walker proposed as a means of having the schools find ways to cut costs should be dumped. So the UW will get all the negatives of the Walker budget and none of the proposed positives.
Walker wants lawmakers to reconsider UW authority
Wisconsin Radio Network
Governor Scott Walker is in agreement with Republican legislative leaders, on where the budget focus should be, now that new projections show no real increase in state revenues. But he said he wants them to reconsider his plan to provide the University of Wisconsin System with greater autonomy.
Scott Walker calls $300 million UW cut ‘manageable’
AP
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker says his proposed $300 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System is “manageable” and “realistic” if UW is given some flexibilities to save money.
Scott Walker: Arena funding plan needs to take back seat for now
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday that legislative consideration of a financing plan for a new arena in downtown Milwaukee will have to wait until other big-ticket issues such as K-12 school funding and cuts to the University of Wisconsin System are dealt with first.
Budget cuts, rising costs could put squeeze on UW athletics
Madison.com
Five years can seem like an eternity in the world of major college athletics.
Report says no additional revenue expected for Wisconsin budget
Wisconsin Radio Network
A new report says no additional revenue is expected to help lawmakers craft Wisconsin’s two-year state budget.
Why No Autonomy Means All Pain, No Gain for Wisconsin’s University System
Chronicle of Higher Education
The plan to give the University of Wisconsin System broad autonomy from state regulations is dead.
Bad budget news for Wisconsin: No new money over 2 years
AP
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin tax collections won’t grow beyond earlier projections, state lawmakers were told Wednesday, forcing Republican legislative leaders to consider an accounting move to fulfill their promises to undo Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $127 million cut to public schools.
UW raises $53 million out of a $100 million budget deficit
Badger Herald
Chancellor Rebecca Blank updated University of Wisconsin’s Faculty Senate Monday on recent developments to raise money to make up for the deficit created by Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million budget cut to the UW System.
UW public authority is dead though some flexibilities may survive
Wisconsin State Journal
For the second time in Gov. Scott Walker’s gubernatorial tenure, a proposal to split off the University of Wisconsin System or its flagship UW-Madison from state control has died at the hands of the Republican Legislature, according to a top lawmaker.
State’s largest chambers of commerce issue statement urging proposed UW System budget cuts be lessened
Wisconsin State Journal
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce issued a joint statement Tuesday to urge state legislators to look for ways to reduce Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million cut to the UW System.
State’s largest local business groups warn $300 million UW cut could hurt economy
Capital Times
The state’s two largest chambers of commerce Tuesday joined forces to warn that Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System could hurt the economy.
Fact checking the state budget
PolitiFact Wisconsin
A powerful committee of state lawmakers dives deeper this week into votes on Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial state budget. A flurry of decisions will come in May. That’s our cue to roll out some recent PolitiFact Wisconsin fact checks and articles on the 2015-17 spending plan.
Walker Doesn’t Have to Slash UW and Education Funding
Shepherd Express
Facing a deficit going into the two-year budget cycle that begins in July, Gov. Scott Walker has proposed slashing funding for the University of Wisconsin System, public K-12 education and other vital programs.
UWGB students and staff react to UW System future
WLUK-TV, Green Bay
GREEN BAY – We’re following the money with Wisconsin’s state budget.The legislature won’t vote to cut the UW system loose from state oversight. However, budget cuts remain a possibility.
Walker’s UW proposal dead in Legislature; cuts debated
AP
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to give the University of Wisconsin System more independence from state law and oversight won’t pass this year, while other flexibilities and the level of funding for higher education remain up for debate, co-chairs of the Legislature’s powerful Joint Finance Committee said Tuesday.
GOP Lawmakers Say No To UW Authority, At Least For Now
Wisconsin Public Radio
The Republican co-chairs of the state Legislature’s budget committee say they won’t support Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to turn the University of Wisconsin System into a public authority.
Budget panel to drop Walker’s UW public authority plan
Wisconsin Radio Network
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s plan to create a public authority for the University of Wisconsin System will not gain the approval of the legislature’s budget committee, according to the panel’s co-chairs.
Lawmakers drop Scott Walker’s plan to spin off UW governance
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Republicans in the state Legislature are abandoning a proposal by GOP Gov. Scott Walker to spin off the University of Wisconsin System as a separate government authority, but said they are committed to giving campuses more flexibilities to manage budget cuts.
The Wisconsin (Job Creation) Idea
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Chancellor Blank has a blog that talks about the need to weaken the University of Wisconsin-Madison to make room for state budget cuts.
UW Public Authority Is Unlikely, Says System President
Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross said on Friday that he doubts a public authority will become a reality for the state’s university system.
It’s Time For UW To Dip Into Reserves, Says President Cross
Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross said on Friday the time has come to dip into the system’s reserve funds, as it faces about $300 million in cuts in the next state budget.
Walker Signals Willingness To Consider Smaller Cuts To UW 2-Year Colleges
Wisconsin Public Radio
Gov. Scott Walker is suggesting a budget cut to the University of Wisconsin System that may be smaller than the $300 million he originally proposed.
UW’s Cross fields questions
Daily Jefferson County Union
WHITEWATER — University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross held a forum Thursday at UW-Whitewater, opening the floor to any and all questions.
Wisconsin Universities Aren’t Waiting For A Budget Before Starting Layoffs
Huffington Post
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) hasn’t even gotten his proposed budget cuts passed into law yet, but that’s not stopping the state’s prestigious public university system from moving to lay off staff, prompting fears of a “massive brain drain.”
Advocates want to spare two-year campuses from funding cuts, UW president disagrees
Wisconsin Radio Network
A couple of lawmakers want to shield the UW-Extension and two-year campuses from the proposed $300 million cuts to the University of Wisconsin System, as proposed in the state budget. However, System President Ray Cross has said none should be exempt, otherwise all campuses would want the same deal. “I appreciate that,” he says, “however I don’t believe that’s the right solution.”
Repositioning Scott Walker
New York Times
An editorial about Walker’s shifting stances mentions a recent paper, “The Whiteness of Wisconsin’s Wages,” by Dylan Bennett, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, and Hannah Walker, a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Washington, which argues that “Governor Walker and his allies activated the racial animus of white workers.” The piece also mentions Walker’s proposed $300 million budget cut to the UW system.
Save Wisconsin public broadcasting from cuts
Wausau Daily Herald
I am writing as president of Wisconsin Public Radio Association, the citizen support organization for Wisconsin Public Radio. I came to this role as a listener, viewer, and unabashed fan of WPR and Wisconsin Public Television before I became a donor, fundraiser and advocate.
Scott Fitzgerald: Some legislators still have ‘bitter taste’ after UW System surplus flap
Capital Times
In an interview broadcast Sunday on WKOW-TV program “Capitol City Sunday,” state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, indicated that restoring funding to K-12 education and to transportation are also among the top priorities … [W]ith the UW Board of Regents voting to raise tuition on out-of-state and graduate students, Fitzgerald said there “seems to be even less of a commitment to backfill” a $300 million cut to the UW System over the next two years. The way that Fitzgerald described it, there is still some animosity left over from the Legislature’s 2013 dealings with the UW System over the latter’s fund surpluses.
Faculty: Scott Walker’s budget not a responsible way to manage UW
Madison.com
Professor Grant Petty, head of UW-Madison’s faculty lobbying group, says signals indicating the Legislature is unlikely to reduce cuts to the UW System proposed by Gov. Scott Walker are not a responsible way to manage higher education in the state.
Jonathan Burkham: Slashing UW System will ripple into state economy
Madison.com
Letter to the editor from Jonathan Burkham, an assistant professor of human geography at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
UW president optimistic funding cuts will be reduced
Wisconsin Radio Network
It is very unlikely the state legislature will restore much of the $300 million proposed cuts to the University of Wisconsin System in the state budget. That’s what Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) told WKOW TV in Madison, but UW System President Ray Cross isn’t buying it.
County board supports UW-Manitowoc
Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
Citing a strong partnership with UW-Manitowoc, the County Board came out against Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million budget cut to the University of Wisconsin System.
Patterson: Efforts could ease impact of cuts on UWSP
As we continue to wrestle with potential cuts to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, I am reminded of a quote from Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Herbert Swope: “I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody.”
Poll: Two-Thirds Of Respondents Oppose $300M Budget Cut For UW System
Wisconsin Public Radio
Nearly two-thirds of respondents in the new Wisconsin Survey are against a proposed $300 million cut in the state budget for the University of Wisconsin System. Support or opposition to the idea appears to break down along party lines.
UW–Platteville announces first round of cuts
swnews4u.com
UW–Platteville is cutting $3.7 million from its 2015–16 budget and increasing revenues by $1.5 million to address the university’s existing structural deficit and expected state aid cuts in the state’s 2015–17 budget.
Walker says there won’t be ‘huge amount’ of new revenue
AP
APPLETON (AP) – Gov. Scott Walker says new tax collection forecasts coming out in May will not provide a windfall, but any additional revenue should first be directed to help K-12 schools.
Marquette Head Says UW Cuts Could Harm Collaborations With His University
Wisconsin Public Radio
The leader of Wisconsin’s largest private university says he’s worried that proposed budget cuts to the University of Wisconsin System might harm collaborations with his school.
2 UW Campuses Report One-Third Of Employees Seeking Voluntary Buyouts
Wisconsin Public Radio
Two University of Wisconsin campuses are seeing more than one-third of employees seek voluntary buyouts among faculty and staff members who are eligible for early retirement.
Raining on Scott Walker’s parade: Will his GOP opponents seize on Wisconsin’s gloomy economic outlook?
Capital Times
Quoted: “Certainly a good case can be made that the sum of the Walker administration policies have had the effect of increasing income inequality in Wisconsin,” said Andrew Reschovsky, professor of public affairs and applied economics at UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs. UW-Madison political scientist Ken Mayer said ultimately, Walker record’s on the economy may not matter.
Parkside Grappling With 2 Million Deficit
The University of Wisconsin-Parkside knows it has to plan for some cut in state funding over the next biennium, but there’s been no word yet on exactly how much, and administrators are doing the best they can to minimize the impact on campus.
Opinion: Wisconsin Idea Is Still Under Attack
Kenosha News
Gov. Scott Walker’s attack on the Wisconsin Idea did not end with his botched attempt to re-write the University of Wisconsin’s mission statement. The substance of the attack is ongoing in his state budget.
The State of Politics: Legislators Hope Tax Windfall Rescues Them
Urban Milwaukee
Every Wisconsin legislator knows how they want to spend any unexpected windfall in tax collections in the two-year budget cycle that ends in mid-2017. Their wish lists include more money for K-12 schools, especially rural schools; reducing Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300-million cut in state aid to the UW System; borrowing less to put more cash into highway construction and maintenance statewide, and maintaining current programs that help seniors and the disabled.
Revenue vs. enrollment: What the tuition increase means for UW
Badger Herald
Chancellor Rebecca Blank and other University of Wisconsin System officials say increasing non-resident tuition will bring UW’s rates up to “market value,” but some experts worry the spike will decrease enrollment.
UW Colleges, including UWFox, brace for budget cuts
Appleton Post-Crescent
MENASHA – Faced with $6.5 million in budget reductions, leaders and staff members at University of Wisconsin Colleges — including the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley — searched for answers Monday at a town hall meeting.
UW-L cutting 45 positions, increasing enrollment
Nearly 50 positions at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will be cut in order to balance an estimated $7.6 million reduction in state funding.
Economic success depends on UW, other public universities
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A lively debate underway in Wisconsin and across the nation questions the value of public research universities to the state taxpayers who help support them. This debate indicates that many do not understand the role these universities play in driving innovation and keeping the state and U.S. competitive.
On Campus: UW-Platteville, UW-Stout offer buyouts to senior employees
Madison.com
UW-Platteville and UW-Stout recently became the latest campuses in the University of Wisconsin System to offer buyouts to senior staff to mitigate Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed cuts of $300 million to state campuses in the next two years.
Blank: Economic success depends on UW, other public universities
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
A lively debate underway in Wisconsin and across the nation questions the value of public research universities to the state taxpayers who help support them. This debate indicates that many do not understand the role these universities play in driving innovation and keeping the state and U.S. competitive.
UPDATE: Former UW Whitewater Associate Dean sheds light on UW-Madison proposed reduction plan
NBC15
“It has a very large but a very complicated budget that’s funded from many many different sources. The state source though, is an important source and we’re seeing a cut of this size that is over a two year period will have an impact,” former UW Whitewater Assoc. Dean Richard Haven said. That impact could mean 400 jobs eliminated at UW-Madison.
UPDATE: UW-Madison chancellor announces elimination of 400 positions
WKOW TV
Thousands of UW-Madison students will have fewer courses to choose from and longer wait times to see academic advisers next year. Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced the University will eliminate 400 positions for the 2015-16 school year to trim $21 million.
UW-Madison chancellor: Scott Walker budget will mean job losses, longer stays for students
Madison.com
UW-Madison plans to cut 400 jobs across campus — most of them open positions that won’t be filled — as well as drop some programs and collect an additional $3.5 million yearly from its athletics department to deal with Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million, two-year cut to the University of Wisconsin System, chancellor Rebecca Blank announced Friday.
UW-Madison to cut 400 positions, close and merge programs
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will eliminate about 400 positions, most of them vacant, and will close or restructure several academic programs across campus over the next two years in response to anticipated state budget cuts, Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced on her blog Friday.