Several sources are reporting the news that Wisconsin ranks third in the nation for cuts to public higher education. The annual Grapevine study, conducted by Illinois State University’s Center for the Study of Education Policy and the State Higher Education…
Author: Michelle Felber
PROFS Registers in Favor of Telecommunications Bill
PROFS has registered in favor of proposed legislation that would delay the restrictions on the University of Wisconsin System in providing or selling telecommunications services. The bills — SB 375 and AB 473 have bipartisan sponsorship and are supported by…
Optional Retirement System for UW System Employees Proposed
PROFS has learned that State Representative Pat Strachota (R-West Bend) is proposing legislation that would give the University of Wisconsin System the authority to create an optional retirement plan for employees hired after the effective date of the legislation. Strachota…
Legislative Task Force on UW Restructuring to Meet Wednesday
The Special Task Force on UW Restructuring and Operational Flexibilities will have its second meeting on Wednesday, January 11. The meeting will be held from 9 am to 12:30 pm in Room 412 East of the State Capitol. The meeting…
PROFS Emeritus Membership
PROFS is pleased to announce its new emeritus membership program, co-chaired by Brent McCown, Emeritus Professor of Horticulture, and Louise Robbins, Emeritus Professor of Library and Information Studies. Leaders of PROFS have known for some time that while retirement may…
Lapse Cuts As Expected
The Department of Administration announced last week its plan for a $174.3 million budget lapse over the current 2011-13 biennium. $123.2 million must be cut from FY 2011-12, with the remainder coming in FY 2012-13. It was announced in October…
Report Shows Public Employee Pay Reductions Hurt Economy
Professor Steven Deller, a faculty member in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, spoke at a press conference Tuesday and shared his research on the state’s economy. Deller found that a 7.7 percent pay reduction (roughly the amount of…
The Crisis of the Public University
Professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes, a professor of medical anthropology at the University of California-Berkeley, offers her opinion on the future of public higher education in The Chronicle of Higher Education Review. Scheper-Hughes writes in response to the violent reaction by police…
2011 Legislative Review
2011 has been an historic year for both the state of Wisconsin and UW-Madison. The year began with massive change in the statehouse, continued with a proposal that had the potential to split UW-Madison from UW System, and concludes with…
Governor Walker Signs Bill Requiring Geographic Representation on the Board of Regents
Senate Bill 28, which requires geographic representation on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, was signed into law by Governor Scott Walker yesterday. The legislation adds the following language to Chapter 15.91 of the Wisconsin Statutes: “At least one…