Democrats on the committee criticized the overall outcome, saying it doesn’t go far enough. They called for another half billion for the UW system and nearly $750 million for the Department of Children and Families including $200 million for childcare providers.
Category: Top Stories
New UW teaching workloads included in state budget plan, along with pay raises and more
The University of Wisconsin System had braced for a state budget cut. Instead, UW institutions are poised to get more money than they have in recent years — but the cash comes with some strings.
Budget deal gives some lawmakers heartburn. Tony Evers, GOP leaders say that’s what compromise looks like
The budget deal includes $14 million in municipal service payments — payments from the state for police, fire and waste removal services provided to state facilities by local governments — a significant chunk of which will go to the City of Madison. It also includes $194 million for projects at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is in Roys’ district.
Gov. Evers, legislative leaders reach budget deal that includes funding increases for UW System, child care
Gov. Tony Evers, Assembly Republicans, Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats say they’ve reached a bipartisan deal on the next state budget.
The announcement comes just hours before the legislative committee that writes the state budget is set to vote on funding for a slew of government agencies.
Gov. Evers, legislative leaders reach budget deal that includes funding increases for UW System, child care
Gov. Tony Evers, Assembly Republicans, Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats say they’ve reached a bipartisan deal on the next state budget.
The announcement comes just hours before the legislative committee that writes the state budget is set to vote on funding for a slew of government agencies.
Legislators, Evers reach bipartisan deal on 2025-2027 state budget with nearly $1.5B in tax cuts
Wisconsin legislative Republicans and Governor Tony Evers have reached an agreement on the 2025-2027 state budget, delivering nearly $1.5 billion in tax cuts alongside investments in education, infrastructure, and childcare.
Gov. Tony Evers and legislative leaders reach bipartisan deal on budget after months of negotiations
Gov. Tony Evers and Republican and Democratic legislative leaders have reached a tentative agreement on the 2025-27 state budget, agreeing to invest hundreds of millions in the University of Wisconsin system, to create new grant and payment programs for child care facilities, further boost investment in special education and cut $1.3 billion in taxes.
Wisconsin’s Democratic governor reaches budget deal with Republicans to cut taxes, fund university
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who control the state Legislature announced a deal Tuesday on a new two-year budget that cuts income taxes, increases funding for the Universities of Wisconsin despite a threatened cut and raises fees to pay for transportation projects.
Evers and GOP leaders in Wisconsin Legislature reach bipartisan budget deal, governor says
A tentative bipartisan deal between Gov. Tony Evers and Republican leaders in the state Legislature calls for billions in new spending on public schools, child care and state universities, along with income tax cuts worth more than $1 billion.
Wisconsin state budget breakthrough yields gains for UW system, special education
Gov. Tony Evers and Republican leaders in the Legislature have reached a budget agreement that could give the Universities of Wisconsin its biggest boost in two decades, increase how much the state reimburses school districts for special education and continue subsidies for the state’s child care industry.
Under the deal, the UW system will get $256 million in new state aid that must be allocated under two new formulas that prioritize stabilizing campuses with declining enrollment and rewarding campuses for the number of credit hours that students complete.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, Republican leaders reach a deal on large elements of a state budget
Leaders in the state Capitol announced with hours to spare before the dawn of a new fiscal year that they had reached a tentative agreement on key elements of the state budget, including Medicaid funding, special education, childcare and the University of Wisconsin System.
Legislature blows past budget deadline despite late-night negotiations with Gov. Tony Evers
In the end, at around 10:30 p.m., the committee began its meeting but scrapped votes on the most controversial areas of the budget, like the University of Wisconsin System, Medicaid funding, and whether to close the Green Bay Correctional Institution. Those areas are scheduled to be taken up Tuesday, July 1 — a day before the full Legislature is set to vote on the new budget bill.
Financial future of Universities of Wisconsin at stake in state budget negotiations
Advocates for higher education say it’s the wrong time for lawmakers to be considering a funding cut for Wisconsin’s university system.
Republicans in the state Assembly are floating the idea of slashing $87 million from the Universities of Wisconsin as part of the biennial budget. Last week, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told reporters that he supports the cut, citing concerns about “too much political correctness” within the university system.
UW-Madison and UWM order budget cuts amid state and federal uncertainty
The University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW-Milwaukee are cutting costs over the next school year amid financial uncertainty at the federal and state level.
UW-Madison told schools and colleges to shave 5% of their 2026 budget. The administration and other units must trim 7%. Some exceptions may apply depending on a division’s financial circumstances.
UW-Madison schools and colleges to reduce budget by five percent
University of Wisconsin-Madison schools and colleges will reduce their base budgets by 5%, and administrative units will reduce their budgets by 7% amid federal reductions and uncertainties about state funding, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced Monday.
UW-Madison announces cuts amid state budget and tariff uncertainties
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin noted in a Monday message to UW–Madison faculty and staff that both the above issues factored into the base budget reductions of 5% that schools and colleges will be required to implement for next school year. Administrative and all other units that receive 101 funds will reduce their fund 101 base budgets by 7%.
UW-Madison tells schools and colleges to trim budgets amid federal, state funding uncertainty
Deans and vice chancellors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will have to make tough choices in the coming weeks. University leadership on Monday announced budget cuts for the next financial year.
UW–Madison faces 5% budget cuts amid federal funding uncertainty
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is cutting its budget due to ongoing financial uncertainties stemming from changes to federal funding.
Schools and colleges will face a 5% base budget cut for fiscal year 2026, while administrative units will see a 7% reduction. These cuts are part of efforts to protect the university’s financial viability amid risks like potential federal funding changes and grant terminations.
UW-Madison orders 5% budget cuts amid federal, state budget uncertainty
UW-Madison leaders are telling all departments to reduce their budgets by at least 5% amid a flurry of federal changes shaking up higher education and now further uncertainty surrounding the state’s budget.
UW-Madison announces budget cuts for all departments up to 7 percent
Facing funding cuts from the Trump administration and uncertainty from the Wisconsin Legislature, the leader of the state’s flagship university directed all departments Monday to cut their budgets between 5 percent and 7 percent next year.
Republicans float $80 million cut to UW System budget
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told reporters Wednesday afternoon the Republican caucus supports a roughly $80 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System budget, saying the reform is needed to fix the “broken” process currently in place.
Republicans consider $87 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System in the two-year state budget
Republicans who control the state Legislature are considering cutting funding to the University of Wisconsin System by $87 million as they build a new two-year state budget that may require Democratic votes to pass.
Report: Republicans weighing $87 million cut to UW system
Republicans on the Legislature’s budget committee may deal the Universities of Wisconsin the system’s biggest cut in nearly a decade, to the tune of $87 million.
The cut was first reported by Civic Media on Monday night. By contrast, the UW system had requested an increase in state aid of $856 million. The committee had been slated to take up the UW system’s budget on Tuesday but punted it for unspecified reasons.
Officials launch new grant-making program to improve rural health outcomes
The Orion Initiative, administered through the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, aims to invest in partnerships between frontline rural providers and the academic medical community.
Trump policies could lead to international student decline at UW-Madison, UWM, Concordia
The Trump administration’s plans to pause new international student visas, revoke the visas of Chinese students and ban travel from a dozen countries could wreak havoc on higher education in Wisconsin.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison stands to lose the most, with about 15% of its student body coming from overseas. UW-Milwaukee and Concordia University each enroll more than a thousand international students and would also be affected.
Scientists have lost their jobs or grants in US cuts. Foreign universities want to hire them
Brandon Coventry never thought he would consider a scientific career outside the United States. But federal funding cuts and questions over whether new grants will materialize have left him unsure. While reluctant to leave his family and friends, he’s applied to faculty positions in Canada and France.
“I’ve never wanted to necessarily leave the United States, but this is a serious contender for me,” said Coventry, who is a postdoctoral fellow studying neural implants at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Wisconsin GOP lawmakers praise Trump order restricting funds for ‘gain-of-function’ research
Still, other researchers argue broad restrictions on gain-of-function research could stifle studies that could ultimately protect people from risky viruses. The University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin testified against the bill last year.
“Gain-of-function experiments allow investigators to understand the complex nature of host-pathogen interactions that underlie transmission, infection, and pathogenesis and can help attribute biological function to genes and proteins,” a UW-Madison spokesperson said in a statement to WPR.
UW-Madison conducts a wide range of health and disease studies, including research that helps track viruses like avian influenza. The university is assessing how the order and related NIH guidance might affect research on campus, the spokesperson said.
I Polluted the Minds of 8,679 College Graduates
There I was, this past Saturday afternoon in Camp Randall Stadium, before a verified crowd of 48,263—8,679 of them graduates of varying undergrad and postgrad programs—trying to impart wisdom upon/pollute the minds of America’s future. Yes. Terrifying. Humbling. Disappointing to students, surely.
UW-Madison graduation weekend: Blue skies, black caps and red Ws
Over 48,000 people packed into sunny Camp Randall Stadium Saturday to celebrate the latest graduates from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Graduation speakers stress bridging political divides, celebrate Women’s Hockey win during spring commencement
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s class of 2025 arrived Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium to celebrate the largest commencement in university history as speakers — including graduates, alumni, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and Wall Street Journal Sports Columnist Jason Gay — emphasized resilience and learning to bridge political divides.
UW-Madison law grads face ‘intense polarization,’ Protasiewicz says
State Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz assured law school graduates Friday that they’re prepared to face this moment of “intense polarization.”
“We are living in a time of impassioned debate about what is and is not allowed in our country, about what should and should not be allowed in our country, and those debates often take place in courtrooms,” Protasiewicz told more than 275 University of Wisconsin-Madison graduates during a ceremony at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center.
On a perfect May day, UW-Madison celebrates its class of 2025
On Saturday, nearly 7,000 UW-Madison students entered Camp Randall Stadium as students, holding hands and posing for pictures in their caps and gowns. The stadium functioned like a super cocoon, and those same people emerged two hours later as alumni.
Photos: UW-Madison 2025 Spring Commencement
UW-Madison had its 172nd spring commencement to celebrate graduating students on Saturday at Camp Randall. According to UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, 8,679 students graduated, making it the largest in the school’s 176-year history.
UW-Madison hosts 2025 Spring Commencement
The University of Wisconsin-Madison held its 2025 Spring Commencement Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
More than 8,000 students moved their tassel from right to left at the ceremony. Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said this year’s graduation is the university’s largest ceremony.
UW-Madison celebrates record-setting number of graduates
On Saturday, the University of Wisconsin-Madison celebrated its 172nd spring commencement ceremony.
This year marked the largest commencement celebration in the school’s history. This spring, 8,679 students graduated from UW-Madison.
Big Ten plan to take on Trump collectively comes to UW-Madison faculty for a vote
University of Wisconsin-Madison professors may join others across the Big Ten in calling for an alliance to counter the Trump administration’s hostility toward higher education.
All 27 visa terminations at UW-Madison reversed
All of the 27 students and alumni whose visas were terminated earlier this month at the University of Wisconsin-Madison had their status restored as of Saturday night, university leadership announced Monday.
International students at UW-Madison, other Wisconsin schools see legal status restored
More than two dozen students at Wisconsin schools saw their legal statuses restored after the Trump administration terminated their records from a government database.
Heads of UW system, state agencies defend diversity, inclusion practices to audit committee
President of the Dane County NAACP chapter Greg Jones was the only member of the public to testify at a Joint Audit Committee hearing Tuesday on two recent audits into the diversity, equity and inclusion practices of state agencies and the Universities of Wisconsin. His message to lawmakers was simple: listen to individuals’ stories about the impact of diversity, equity and inclusion programs and stay away from politicized attacks on DEI.
Judge protects second UW-Madison student with cancelled visa from deportation
Asecond UW-Madison international student has been granted protection from deportation just weeks before graduating, and a judge has ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to restore her visa after the administration deleted her record earlier this month.
UW-Madison chancellor, Beloit College president sign letter opposing Trump’s interference in higher education
Two college leaders in Wisconsin signed a letter criticizing the Trump administration’s efforts to control universities and punish those that do not bend to his will.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and Beloit College Eric Boynton were among 200 college leaders nationally who signed the April 22 letter condemning government overreach.
Rothman continues push for increased UW System funding despite GOP opposition
University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman continued to push for an increase in state funding, defending the system’s 2025-27 biennial budget request at a committee hearing Thursday while impending federal funding cuts cast a long shadow over higher education in Wisconsin.
UW-Madison finally breaks ground on hard-won engineering building
UW-Madison officials’ sense of relief Thursday was almost palpable at the official groundbreaking for the new engineering building.
Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration’s termination of UW-Madison student’s visa
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the cancellation of a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison undergraduate student’s visa and any actions in relation to that by the Trump administration.
Visa terminations have ‘chilling effect’ on UW international students, protest organizers
Recent visa terminations are making international students in Wisconsin worry about their future, and take precautions like removing social media and not participating pro-Palestinian organizing.
Federal judge bans Trump from deporting UW-Madison student or canceling his visa
A federal judge has barred the Trump administration from deporting a UW-Madison international student whose student visa was canceled April 4 just weeks before he was set to graduate.
Researchers, lawmakers look to turn Wisconsin into the ‘Silicon Valley’ for nuclear energy
A group of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Realta Fusion, a Madison-based nuclear startup, have developed a fusion device in Stoughton that creates the same kind of reaction that fuels the sun and stars. The process is much different than fission, the nuclear reaction that powers current nuclear reactors and the atomic bomb.
Judge says UW-Madison international student with terminated visa can’t be deported for now
A federal judge barred the government from taking any action against a University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering student from India, delivering a temporary blow to the Trump administration’s sweeping campaign to revoke international student visas.
Wisconsin audits find lack of tracking of DEI spending at university system and state agencies
Republican-ordered audits released Friday found that Wisconsin state agencies and the University of Wisconsin system have failed to track the millions of dollars they spent on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, making it difficult to fully assess the initiatives.
Education Minnesota, Wisconsin join 19 states in suing Trump administration over canceled student visas
At least 40 student visas have been revoked at schools within the University of Wisconsin school system, with more than two dozen from UW-Madison alone.
A spokesperson from UW-Madison wrote, “As of April 9, UW-Madison is aware of the automatic sevis termination of 26 total records. This includes 15 current students and 11 recent alumni on employment authorization … A sevis record termination generally means that a nonimmigrant individual no longer holds lawful nonimmigrant status and should depart the U.S. immediately.”
‘Really unprecedented situation’: More UW-Madison student visas canceled by federal government
At least 40 student visas across the UW System have been terminated as of April 10, according to university officials. The number has doubled since April 7.
More than $12M in UW-Madison research funding cut by Trump administration
More than $12 million in research grants destined for the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been cut by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a lawsuit filed by Wisconsin and 15 other states. Democratic state Attorney General Josh Kaul says the administration is “sabotaging medical and public health research.”
UW’s School of Education graduate school claims no. 1 spot in national rankings for second year
The University of Wisconsin’s School of Education graduate program has been ranked No. 1 for the second year in a row, according to the U.S. News & World Report.
‘It’s going to be really bad’: 27 international students get visas revoked at Wisconsin universities
The Trump administration is revoking visas for international university and college students across the country. Now, some international students at the Universities of Wisconsin have gotten their visas revoked.
‘Challenging times here’: UW-Madison lobbies for research funding in Washington, D.C.
Members of the UW-Madison community gathered Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C. ahead of their lobbying day on Capitol Hill.
“The reality is we’re certainly facing some interesting, challenging times here at the federal level,” said Craig Thompson, vice chancellor of university relations at UW-Madison. “There’s obviously potential cuts to research and other programs, and there’s just a great deal of uncertainty on campus.”
‘Day of the Badger’ raises $1.7 million
University of Wisconsin-Madison officials report that more than $1.7 million was raised to address key needs on campus during the sixth edition of the “Day of the Badger.”
UW-Madison students, alumni take to Capitol Hill to advocate for financial funding
Students and alumni from the University of Wisconsin-Madison gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday to lobby amid growing uncertainty over federal funding for the university.
Trump administration terminates more UW-Madison student visas
More international students studying at Wisconsin colleges and universities have had their visas revoked by the Trump administration, scrambling their plans to study and work in the U.S.
Trump administration has cut $12.6 million in research grants to UW-Madison, provoking a lawsuit
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has lost at least $12.6 million in anticipated research dollars after President Donald Trump’s administration recently canceled four of its research grants, part of a national crackdown on funding for transgender issues, COVID-19 and diversity.
College students respond to visa terminations affecting Wisconsin international student
A spokesperson for the University of Wisconsin System said the U.S. government has terminated visas for international students at universities across the state, including 13 at UW-Madison.