As a business leader who strives to hire UW-Green Bay graduates, I have frequent opportunities to observe the high-quality work of the university’s faculty and staff. These professionals are committed to the academic well-being of their students and get the most out of the resources available to them.
But unless and until Wisconsin makes the financial commitment to our universities we see in Minnesota and many other competitively relevant states, the higher educational system in which we take much pride will deteriorate. Such deterioration will have consequences for an economy dependent on a well-educated workforce. The consequences will be especially challenging in our “New North” region, which lags behind the rest of the state in both per-capita incomes and levels of education.