Author: Michelle Felber

May Legislative Update

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The update below was shared with members and guests of the Faculty Senate yesterday. The Senate meets in Room 272 Bascom Hall the first Monday of the month in October through December and February through May.

May 2025 Legislative Update on letterhead

May Legislative Update

PROFS, the Public Representation Organization of the Faculty Senate, is a non-profit advocacy organization of UW-Madison faculty. Formed by the Faculty Senate and governed by the University Committee, PROFS provides a voice to faculty, allowing them to communicate directly with the governor, legislators, and members of Congress.

Federal Update

The unprecedented federal attack on higher education continues and PROFS continues to work with leaders on campus and the offices of members of the Wisconsin Congressional delegation. We also partnered with our Academic Staff colleagues to host a well-attended campus forum on federal issues last month. Local coverage of the forum is here:  Wisconsin Public Radio and the Wisconsin Examiner.

UW-Madison’s Office of Strategic Communication is asking members of the university community, including faculty, to share stories about the impact of cuts in federal funding. The impact of these cuts – direct and indirect – are often not understood by the general public and examples of how these cuts will harm not only important research, but students and the public at large. Examples may be used by the university in their external communications and advocacy efforts. Submit your experiences here.

2025-27 State Budget

The 2025-27 state budget process is underway, and public hearings were held in Hayward and Wausau last week. PROFS expects significant Republican opposition to Governor Evers’ record budget for UW System when the Joint Finance Committee begins taking votes on the bill.

Republican leaders have said they hope to begin voting on the bill this month, but no meetings have been scheduled to date. Despite that, a Co-chair Sen. Howard Marklein said he plans to complete the budget by the end of June. The current level of appropriations will continue should the budget process continue after July 1. PROFS has already met to meet with legislators and is advocating for the best possible budget for UW-Madison.

PROFS/ASPRO Forum on Federal Issues

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US Capitol

US Capitol, Washington, DC

PROFS and ASPRO, the Academic Staff Professionals Representation Organization, are hosting a forum on recent federal actions impacting UW-Madison and higher education across the United States at 9 am, Thursday, April 24. A poster for the event is below. Feel free to print and post.

DC Update: How the Trump Administration’s Actions Will Reshape Higher Education

  • 9 am, Thursday, April 24
  • Symphony Room, Gordon Dining & Event Center, (Room 241A, 770 W. Dayton Street)

The higher education community has been reeling since Donald Trump was inaugurated in January. Wide-ranging executive orders – relating to federal funding of research, DEI programs and policies, and immigration – to name just a few, have impacted UW-Madison and colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Our panel will discuss federal actions to-date and share their thoughts on how these actions may impact UW-Madison and higher education nationally.

PROFS President Michael Bernard-Donals will moderate:

This event is free and open to the public. Pastries and coffee will be served at 8:30 am.

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March Board of Regents Meeting

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Universities of Wisconsin logoThe UW System Board of Regents will meet in Room 1820 Van Hise Hall on Thursday, March 6.

Regents will begin their meeting with an introduction of Newly-appointed Regent Audrey Jenkins, an undergraduate student at UW-Parkside. Regent Jenkins was appointed to serve the remainder of the traditional student 2-year term held by UW-Green Bay student Evan Brenkus who graduated in December. She will serve through May, 2025.

Regents will then move into closed session to discuss three items:

  • Pending litigation relating to President Trump’s executive orders and the National Institutes of Health
  • A student request to review a UW-Madison decision
  • Chancellor personnel evaluations

Information on a Zoom link for the open portion of the meeting is here.

 

March Legislative Update

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The update below was shared with senators and guests at the Faculty Senate meeting yesterday. The Senate meets in Room 272 Bascom Hall at 3:30 pm on the first Monday of the month, October-December and February-May.

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February Board of Regents Meeting

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Universities of Wisconsin logoThe Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents is meeting Thursday and Friday, February 6 and 7 Union South on the UW-Madison campus. Registration for the Zoom link to watch the open portions of the meeting here.

UW-Madison hosted a welcome reception on Wednesday evening and offered Regents the opportunity to tour Morgridge Hall, the new School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences building will have presentations throughout the individual meetings.

The Regents met in committee on Thursday morning.

  • The Audit Committee heard several updates on recent audits and annual reports from the UW-Madison Athletics Board and the Universities of Wisconsin Office of Information Security.
  • The Capital Planning and Budget Committee considered approval of the sale of a parcel of land in Door County owned by UW-Green Bay and maintenance repair projects at UW-Madison and UW-Stevens Point. UW-Madison Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities, Planning, and Management Cindy Torstveit also gave a presentation on UW-Madison built environment and its plans for the future.
  • The Business and Finance Committee considered a pair of contractual agreements and heard several reports, including one from UW-Madison Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Rob Cramer and Associate Vice Chancellor for Finance David Murphy on the financial wellbeing of UW-Madison and one providing an overview of systemwide student affordability.
  • The Education Committee considered approval of seven new degree programs, including three at UW-Madison (an MFA in dance, a BS in Plant Science and Technology, and an MS in Learning Analytics) and heard two updates on artificial intelligence.

The Regents met in full committee Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. On Thursday, Regents heard updates from Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and Regent President Amy Blumenfeld Bogost, and a presentation on UW-Madison from Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. The Regents then moved to closed session to discuss chancellor evaluations and possible/pending litigation relating to former UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow.

On Friday, the Regents will consider Thursday’s committee action, hear a panel discussion on innovation and entrepreneurial excellence, and present theRegents Business Partnership Award to UW-Madison and American Family Insurance.

PROFS Annual Report

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Each year, PROFS presents its annual report to the Faculty Senate. The 2023-24 Annual Report, presented at the December Senate meeting, is below.

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December Legislative Update

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The update below was shared with senators and guests at the Faculty Senate meeting yesterday. The Senate meets in Room 272 Bascom Hall at 3:30 pm on the first Monday of the month, October-December and February-May.

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Election Update from PROFS

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Last week, Michael Bernard Donals, President of PROFS, and Jack O’Meara, PROFS’ lobbyist, sent an email to all faculty with an update on the federal and state elections. The text of that message is below:

Hello UW-Madison Faculty Member:

With the election a few days behind us, we wanted to get in touch to summarize what happened and where we see things going in the days and months ahead. We particularly want to make sure you are aware of the results in the state legislative elections.

On Election Night, Wisconsin–long a battleground state–gave former President Donald Trump the electoral college votes he needed to declare victory. Trump won the state by roughly 30,000 votes.

We can expect major changes in higher education policy under President Trump. Here are some articles on that topic:

Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin won a close election, defeating her opponent, Eric Hovde, by about 29,000 votes for a third term in the Senate. Our longtime local congressman, Democrat Mark Pocan, was also re-elected. PROFS has strong relationships with Senator Baldwin and Congressman Pocan, dating to their times in the Wisconsin Legislature, and we look forward to working with them and their staffs in 2025.

Because of Democratic losses in other states, control of the U.S. Senate will shift to the Republicans. Control of the U.S. House of Representatives has yet to be determined, as many races, particularly on the West Coast, have not been called. This will be a significant factor in whether President Trump will be able to fully advance his agenda.

The balance of power in the Wisconsin Legislature will be much closer in January following a lawsuit over gerrymandering that resulted in new, more competitive legislative maps. Democrats, however, were not able to take control of the State Assembly, as they had hoped. Given that only half the Senate is up for election every two years, it was not realistic for the Democrats to take back the Senate, but it is noteworthy that the Democrats won all of the most competitive races on the Senate side.

Democrats picked up 10 seats in the State Assembly and four seats in the State Senate. This means there will be 54 Republicans and 45 Democrats in the Assembly, and 18 Republicans and 15 Democrats in the Senate. In the previous legislative session, the balance was 64-35 and 22-11, meaning the Republicans had a supermajority in the Senate and a near-supermajority in the Assembly. Legislators can override vetoes from Democratic Governor Tony Evers with supermajorities.

Some of the notable new faces in the Legislature include Democratic Representative-elect Renuka Mayadev, who will serve in the newly-created district that represents UW-Madison and many areas where UW employees live. Rep.-elect Mayadev currently works at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Also of note, Democratic Senator-elect Jamie Wall, a business consultant in Green Bay, was a Rhodes Scholar after receiving his bachelor’s degree from UW-Madison. Senator Kelda Helen Roys (D-Madison), a strong advocate for the faculty and UW-Madison, was also re-elected.

Legislators are beginning to elect their leadership. Senator Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) was elected by her caucus to serve as Senate President. Senator Felzkowski is a long-time member of the Joint Finance Committee. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) will continue to serve as leader. More leadership votes will take place next week, and committee memberships will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 2025-27 state budget, including funding for UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin, will be at the top of the agenda for the new Legislature when they take office in January. Following the recommendation of UW System President Jay Rothman, the UW Board of Regents has requested $855 million in new funding for the universities.

Last week, the Legislative Council Study Committee on the Future of the UW System endorsed the idea of a separate board and separate funding for UW-Madison, along with bonding authority for the university, plus other suggestions. PROFS will monitor developments and advocate for the best possible result for UW-Madison and its faculty.

As always, let us know if you have concerns, suggestions, or questions.

Sincerely,

Michael Bernard-Donals, English & Jewish Studies
PROFS President

Jack O’Meara
PROFS Lobbyist