MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin said state budget cuts could force her campus to limit enrollment in some programs, cut course sections and do less research.
Martin said she asked college deans to develop plans to cut their budgets by 5 percent, about the amount Gov. Jim Doyle’s budget plan would require.
MADISON, Wis. — A new report said a 10-year program to increase diversity in the University of Wisconsin System made progress but much more work needs to be done.
MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin System officials are proposing changes to speed up the construction of new buildings while holding down costs.
A report released on Tuesday said laws and rules governing the state building program are outdated, overly burdensome and time-consuming.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee would take a $19.8 million budget cut over the next two years under Gov. Jim Doyle’s budget plan, university officials said Monday.
The reduction makes up about 11% of the UW System’s total $174 million budget reduction.
The system late Monday released a breakdown of the cuts that each of its campuses will have to absorb if Doyle’s budget passes in its current form.
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse will provide about $5.4 million â?? more than any other UW System school â?? to help create $25 million in financial aid for Wisconsin students.
Gov. Jim Doyleâ??s 2009-11 state budget includes a one-time transfer of $25 million from UW System school reserves to fund student financial aid.
The system sorted out how schools would pay for the financial aid based on how much each had in reserve funds from user fees for residence halls, dining halls and other services.
Thereâ??s a fine line between optimism and naivete and it seems as though Barry Alvarez is trying to walk it wearing a blindfold and a full-body cast.
The University of Wisconsin athletic director clearly realizes his department is facing major financial challenges â?? hence a leaner, more fan-friendly operating budget for next year â?? yet some key projections are held together by delicate strands of hope.
Ralph Ramirez’s mother came from a family of migrant workers.
“She used to go to Door County all the time,” Ramirez was recalling recently, “but not to do anything but pick cherries.”
Ramirez’s father worked in foundries most of his life. Having served in the military police during World War II, he applied at municipal police departments after the war.
Just call it “Match.com for the Super-Skilled Set.”
But beginners need not apply, organizers said.
Instead, the Badger Career Network Alerts program seeks to connect mostly graduates who are now in mid-career and executive-level positions with companies seeking new management, scientific and professional talent in those fields.
Put on your dancing shoes and literally dance the night away at the Shell on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
A dance marathon begins at 9 p.m. Friday and will continue for 12 hours to 9 a.m. Saturday, with participants raising money to help the kids and their families at American Family Children’s Hospital.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison raised more gift money last year than any other public university except UCLA, according to a survey released Wednesday.
But donations are slowing as the recession deepens, university officials said, which could mean less scholarship money for students.
The Freedom of Choice Act that is waiting in the political wings will provide an opportunity for all Americans of faith to shake out their spiritual cobwebs. They will be called to act in accordance with their consciences against the forces who would love to see Americans subjugate our tradition of faith and belief in natural law to a sense of political correctness. This political correctness has led this country (and by our financial support we’ve helped lead other countries) to accept that one human life has value over another.
Seventeen University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty have received almost $1 million in fellowships and awards from the UW-Madison Graduate School, with the honors being funded by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
Boosted by a healthy year-end finish in 2007, private giving to colleges and universities remained strong in fiscal 2008, according to a report to be released this morning by the Council for Aid to Education. The past few months have battered hopes that this trend will continue, at least in the next couple of years.
Colleges brought in an estimated $31.6-billion last year, the highest total ever reported in the council’s annual “Voluntary Support of Education” survey, which included 1,052 institutions. That represented a 6.2-percent increase over the previous year, and the fifth straight year of increases.
Gifts to colleges and universities broke all records in 2008, but began to decline as the recession deepened, and will most likely continue to do so for the next two years, according to a survey by the Council for Aid to Education.
The University of California, Los Angeles, raised the most of any public institution, coming in sixth on the list, with $456.6 million, followed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, ranked eighth with $410.2 million.
An attorney who has represented prisoners held at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay will talk about his experiences in March, during a presentation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jeff Colman, a 1970 history graduate from UW-Madison, will talk about his Guantanamo cases and then hold a question-and-answer session, beginning at noon on March 9 in the Lubar Commons, Room 7200 at the UW-Madison Law School, 975 Bascom Mall.
Sloan Fellows
Four UW-Madison faculty members are among 118 scientists, mathematicians and economists from around the country who have been awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships. The Sloan Fellowships, which come with two-year, $50,000 grants, were awarded to: Shuchi Chawla, computer science; Karsten M. Heeger, physics; Song Jin, chemistry; Tehshik Yoon, chemistry.
Climate seminars
A series of free public seminars beginning Thursday at UW-Madison will address how the state of Wisconsin can respond to climate change. “Bracing for Impact: Climate Change Adaptation in Wisconsin” is the theme of the nine-part series, to be held in room 1111 Genetics-Biotechnology Center Building, 425 Henry Mall. Each seminar will start at 7 p.m. and last about an hour.
Finance seminar
Undergraduate students at UW-Madison can attend the annual Financial Independence Seminar on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Grainger Hall, 975 University Ave. Hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board and the Wisconsin School of Business, students can get expert financial advice about managing student loans, improving credit scores, investing money and more. Registration is required by Wednesday at www.uwalumni.com/wasb.
Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle on Thursday signed into law a package that will raise taxes on businesses, cut state spending and authorize the immediate use of $300 million in federal stimulus cash for roads and bridges.
Dozens of commercial and residential infill developments are itemized in this report about the ongoing construction boom on Madison’s isthmus. But these private-sector developments are dwarfed by what is taking place on the UW-Madison campus, where two dozen significant projects have been completed since February 2005, are now under construction or have been proposed for the next five years.
Though fewer in number than the noted private-sector projects, these UW developments are larger in scale: In total, they represent almost $1.5 billion (with a b) in value — about three times the total invested in private-sector developments for the same period. (See related Isthmus story.)
Noted: Did I mention that the UW has almost $700 million in new construction in mind through 2011? â??Itâ??s the complete rejuvenation of big chunks of the campus,â? notes Al Fish, UW-Madisonâ??s associate vice chancellor.
Governor Jim Doyle goes after the rich, the oil companies, and smokers in his proposed state budget. Doyle calls for deep cuts in state spending – $2.2 billion worth – deepest in state history according to Doyle, who also says he has no plans to increase middle class taxes. “My budget stands up for the people who earn regular paychecks, and the people who through no fault of their own, have lost theirs,” the governor told a joint session of the Wisconsin legislature Tuesday night at the Capitol in Madison.
Gov. Jim Doyle called Tuesday night for the state’s top earners, those earning capital gains, smokers and oil companies to pay more as part of his plan to balance the state’s projected $5.7 billion budget deficit for 2009-11.
In addition to the tax hikes, Doyle proposed using a mix of spending cuts and federal stimulus money to balance the budget while protecting education and public safety.
In all, the governor called for $1.4 billion in revenue increases and $2.2 billion in cuts to state programs to help close the shortfall, along with $2.1 billion in federal stimulus money.
With the recent passing of Wayne McGown, Wisconsin lost a dedicated, talented public servant.
McGown began his professional career with the Four Lakes Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He served as an administrator under six Wisconsin governors over a 20-year period. He later served for a similar time as a special assistant to four UW-Madison chancellors.
In that capacity, he was instrumental in helping Chancellor Irving Shain establish and develop the University Research Park, a vibrant and dynamic part of Madison’s economic base.
Throughout his career, McGown was a consummate example of the best qualities of true public service. His focus was never on himself, but always on what was best for the state, the university and Madison.
He should be appropriately recognized for the considerable legacy he has left us.
— Art Hove, Madison
Wisconsin college students are not satisfied with Gov. Jim Doyle’s statement that “staying even is the new increase” when it comes to funding.
In a letter to the governor sent last week, students and those representing student interests urged him to increase funding for financial aid in the next budget.
The city of Madison, which just passed one of its tightest budgets in years, stands to get millions of dollars in the new $798 billion federal stimulus package, officials learned Monday.
“We have a terrific opportunity in Madison,” Len Simon, the cityâ??s federal lobbyist told the Board of Estimates by phone from Washington, D.C. “There is a large amount of funding available.”
Three powerful figures â?? all of them Democrats from the Madison area â?? could end up making the final decision on how up to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus money for Wisconsin is spent.
Under a budget bill fast-tracked to be passed by lawmakers as soon as Wednesday, Gov. Jim Doyle and the two co-chairmen of the Legislatureâ??s influential budget committee could decide how much of that money would be spent.
Academic research is a $1.1 billion enterprise in the state of Wisconsin, but the state and its businesses should be getting more bang for the buck from all that brain power.
Freshman applications are down at several University of Wisconsin campuses and a few private colleges in the state this year, reflecting a slowdown after years of growth and some impact of the struggling economy on students and parents.
UW-Madison’s freshman applications are down 5% from last year – the first time in five years that the university has seen a decrease, said Joanne Berg, registrar and vice provost for enrollment management.
College chiefs have to be careful to adopt the right tone when discussing the recession with trustees and professors. Carolyn A. (Biddy) Martin, new chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, describes how she navigated a series of public forums on the university’s financial situation. (Audio.)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — An accounting professor fired for not showing up for a job at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire said Thursday his absence was the result of eye surgery and he planned to work there.
Philip Siegel said he gave up a job at Florida Atlantic University and moved near Eau Claire for the position last summer. He said he had a university office and computer, published papers under the school’s name and went to a national conference for accountants before his contract started in August.
An education professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison education believes that MMOs like World of Warcraft (WoW) can help to produce better real-world citizens.
Professor Constance Steinkuehler outlined her views at a recent campus event.
Noted: On Wednesday, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn joined a few dozen law enforcement officials at a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden in Washington to talk about the stimulus package.
“The ‘money quote’ (from Biden) was ‘the federal government has a role to play’ in local law enforcement, that ‘now we’re back in the game.’ That was music to our ears,” Flynn said after the meeting, referring to an estimated $4 billion in law enforcement grants for localities in the package.
Also present was Susan Riseling, police chief for the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an officer of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Overall, reportable crime in the city of Madison last year went down slightly, but violent crime increased nearly 6 percent.
Madison police on Wednesday released the latest crime figures in a report called Uniform Crime Statistics.
The Uniform Crime Statistics for 2008 show there were 10,572 crimes in Madison last year, compared to 10,705 in 2007, a decrease of 1.3 percent.
A Wisconsin board has fired a professor from Florida who mysteriously failed to show up to teach at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire last fall.
The UW System Board of Regents voted during a closed meeting last week to fire Philip Siegel. Details of the decision were made public Tuesday.
After a search, UW-Eau Claire hired Siegel as an assistant professor to teach financial accounting courses last fall.
Gov. Jim Doyle said Friday he wants to install a new biomass boiler to replace coal burning at UW-Madison’s Charter Street heating plant.
The state agreed last year to reduce coal use at the plant under a settlement to stop a federal lawsuit over pollution at the facility.
The new UW-Madison south campus union will cost $7.1 million more than expected, bringing the total building cost up to $94.8 million.
The Board of Regents approved the request for extra money at its meeting last week. To fund the difference, the campus is providing money from parking fees, adding gift funds, and moving money from the Memorial Union Theater renovation project.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — There are many questions about what happens with the billions of dollars headed to Wisconsin under a federal stimulus plan in Congress. To help answer those questions, and smooth the process for distributing the money, Gov. Jim Doyle created a new state office.
The Office of Recovery and Reinvestment is headed by Gary Wolter, president and chief executive officer of Madison Gas and Electric Co. He is being assisted by Alan Fish, vice chancellor of facilities, planning and management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Both Wolter and Fish are working for free, assisted by about a dozen state employees who are being reassigned from other agencies.
An extra $7.1 million was approved Friday toward the construction of the new Union South, bringing the total cost of the project to $94.8 million.
Associate Director of Wisconsin Union Hank Walter said the Union Council, which oversees the project, was faced with the choice of scaling back the Union South project or increasing the budget with funding from other sources.
Phony Facebook pages are sweeping the stem cell world, report scientists and bioethicists, the latest victims of bogus pages on the popular social-networking site.
“There appears to be an imposter(s) creating fake Facebook web pages,” wrote university of Wisconsin bioethicist R. Alta Charo in an alert sent Thursday. “This is common, but I have learned that a slew of stem cell researchers at the (University of Wisconsin) have one, as do I, and now I learn the problem is shared with some folks in the national stem cell advocacy world.”
The University of Wisconsin System is moving ahead with a new computer program to manage its payroll and benefits for employees after already spending $26 million on a previous failed effort.
The university has budgeted $8 million just to plan for the massive and complicated conversion from a system that’s been in place since 1975. There are no estimates yet for how much the project will cost or how long it will take.
The University of Wisconsin System is suspending payments from 38 endowments whose values have plummeted because of the recession, its president said Friday.
The move will mean $700,000 less is available this year for scholarships, programs and other initiatives on campuses across the state, President Kevin Reilly told the Board of Regents.
Consider reasons for late-term abortion
I do not believe in abortion. But what happens if complications occur that will affect the mother’s health or cause her death if the fetus lives to full-term?
More than 2,000 University of Wisconsin System students received a total of $1.76 million in need-based financial aid during fall 2008, thanks to a generous scholarship donation.
If the University of Wisconsin does not intend to use the body parts of aborted babies for research they must say so, thus clearing the air in that regard. It recently came to light that our prestigious university is making plans to work with Madison Surgery Center to perform abortions on babies at 13-22 weeks gestation.
Dear Editor:
Madison takes pride in being tolerant and accepting, a city that embraces diversity and encourages its citizens to be open-minded and respectful of others and their belief. Are we all those things? I think not!
The Growth Agenda for Wisconsin will take precedence at the UW System Board of Regentsâ?? meeting this week as members discuss the documentâ??s proposed â??action steps.â?
When University of Wisconsin senior Aimee Reynoso found a girl unconscious in the bathroom of the downtown bar where she works, she panicked, not fully prepared to handle the situation.
To address Madison’s ongoing problem with chronic street alcoholics, a new list could soon be making its way to liquor stores across the city that would prevent those on it from buying alcohol.
While city staffers and members of the Alcohol License Review Committee (ALRC) still are working out the details, finding one’s way onto the “alcohol ban list,” as it is currently referred to, would be no easy task. In order to be placed on the list, an individual must be deemed a “habitual drunkard,” a term currently found in an old state statute, but not defined anywhere. Once the term is defined, the list can be created.
Privacy experts are reminding people who use online social networking sites like Facebook to be careful not to fall victim to identity thieves.
An area woman recently found out that it doesn’t take much to create a fake profile page on a site like Facebook.
Gabriela Cezar, an acclaimed stem cell researcher, created a Facebook account about a year ago to network.
Chancellor Biddy Martin returned Sunday from a four-day trip to the east coast where she addressed University of Wisconsin happenings and goals for supporters of the university.
Dane County, the Cities of Madison and Middleton, and the Village of Shorewood Hills made an agreement Friday to move forward with the reconstruction of University Avenue.
In an effort to improve everything from agricultural research to library storage, the University of Wisconsin is requesting authority from the state to use $450 million on various campus construction projects.
Maybe happy cows really do come from California – because right now they aren’t particularly pleased to be in the UW-Madison Dairy Cattle Center, said Ric Grummer, dairy science department chairman.
That is why the university is requesting about $3 million from the state to upgrade its cattle stalls, silos and locker rooms and make second-floor classrooms handicapped-accessible.
Professor Diane Reddy has replaced the traditional lecture format with an online version of Psych 101. Students learn at their own pace but also have to obtain mastery, demonstrated by passing a quiz on each unit, before they can move on to the next.
Along the way, students get help from teaching assistants who monitor their online activity, identifying weak spots and providing advice – even if the students don’t seek it.
Initial evidence says it works: In a study of 5,000 students over two years, U-Pace students performed 12% better on the same cumulative test than students who took traditional Psych 101 with the same textbook and course content, even though U-Pace students had lower average grades than those in the conventional course.
The governor’s plans for oversight of federal stimulus funds are drawing some criticism. Governor Jim Doyle last week named Madison Gas and Electric Chairman, President and CEO Gary Wolter and UW Madison Associate Vice Chancellor Al Fish to head Wisconsin’s new Office of Recovery and Reinvestment.
Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said Friday that an agreement has been reached between municipalities to move forward with the slated reconstruction of University Avenue, with engineering work for the project to begin this year.
Dane County, the cities of Madison and Middleton and the village of Shorewood Hills have agreed on the project.
Falk said $350,000 is included in the 2009 county budget for the project.
The state’s budget shortfall over the next two years has grown by $346 million, to $5.75 billion, said a report released Thursday.
That report from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau came out a day after Gov. Jim Doyle – without specifics – warned in his “state of the state” speech that the deficit would rise.
“The numbers today should demonstrate we don’t know where we’re headed as a country,” Doyle said at a stop in DeForest. “One of the things I have to keep very much in mind is that these are the numbers we have today and we have to be very concerned about what the numbers are, what this looks like three months from now and six months from now.”
Walking down State Street has its many perks: a beautiful view of the Capitol, truly diverse restaurants and some chic boutiques. But, itâ??s not often one can walk a block without hearing from a panhandler.
By SCOTT BAUER
Associated Press Writer
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s budget problem got worse Thursday.
The shortfall for the current fiscal year has increased by more than 70 percent from $346 million to $593 million, the Legislative Fiscal Office reported Thursday.
Lawmakers must come up with a way to plug that gap between now and June 30.
Over the next two years they face a shortfall that now is $5.7 billion and could grow larger still.
MADISON, Wis. — The state’s budget deficit is now projected to be larger than the $5.4 billion reported by the state departments of administration and revenue last November, according to state officials.
According to a report released on Thursday by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, tax collections are projected to be $342 Million less than the DOA report issued on Nov. 20. This puts the state’s projected deficit at more than $5.7 billion.
To hold the line on ticket costs in the draft of next year’s budget, the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department plans to reduce expenses. That action isn’t uncommon today, with economic hardships rolling into just about every industry.
UW’s athletics budget for the 2009-10 school year will be down from the nearly $90 million set forth for this year, said John Jentz, associate athletic director for finance, at an Athletic Board committee meeting last Tuesday. The extent of that reduction hasn’t been finalized.
But concerns have been raised about whether UW has presented an accurate revenue forecast, especially with ticket prices holding steady — not to mention a downturn in fortunes for football and, so far, men’s basketball.
