The day after last Tuesday’s election didn’t exactly inspire confidence for backers of the University of Wisconsin System and its request for a funding boost of $95 million in the next two-year cycle. Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, who’s co-chairman of the state’s budget committee, called the request a “tough sell. ”At the same news conference, Nygren’s colleague Robin Vos, R-Rochester, who’s speaker of the Assembly, said faculty should focus on research that would benefit the state’s economy, not the “ancient mating habits of whatever.” The remark was seen as condescending by many at UW-Madison, a research giant that brings $1.2 billion a year in federal funding to the state. The same day, a different effort got no headlines but could be significant: UW-Madison emailed all of its in-state alumni with a plea. “Right now, UW-Madison needs your voice more than ever,” the email said.
Office of Strategic Communication