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Break-up of university system considered by panel

The chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus urged state lawmakers Thursday to support Gov. Scott Walker?s proposal spinning it off from the university system. The future of the university system is one of the largest and most divisive issues in Walker?s budget. UW System President Kevin Reilly argued for giving the other campuses more autonomy but keeping the system intact. “I will be the first to agree that these flexibilities are important for UW-Madison,” Reilly said. “They are, but they are equally important to all other UW campuses.” Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin, who has pushed more than a year to get more freedom for Madison, said the campus needs a model that will allow it to thrive. “We?re in a race and were tired of listening to words and we?re tired of the same structures that aren?t getting us to where we need to go,” Martin said.