Author: Michelle Felber

Funding Higher Education Forum

How states, Wisconsin in particular, fund their institutions of higher learning will be the topic of a public forum next week. Chancellor Biddy Martin will be joined by Regent President Charles Pruitt and business leader Kathi Seifert. Pruitt, a member…

Fall Primary Election Next Week

Wisconsin’s fall primary election will be held Tuesday, September 14. There are several elections of local interest, including the Democratic contest in the 77th Assembly District. PROFS hosted a forum of candidates last month, giving faculty the opportunity to learn…

UW (University of Washington) Faces Funding Crisis

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported earlier this week that the other UW — the University of Washington — faces similar financial problems to UW-Madison. The university has already endured a 33-percent budget reduction from the state, with more cuts…

Court Rules Against State’s Transfer of Funds

Earlier this week, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruled that the 2007 raid of the state’s medical malpractice fund was illegal. Governor Doyle and the Legislature approved the $200 million transfer of funds from the Injured Patients and Families Compensation…

State Faces Possible $2.5 Billion Structural Deficit

Last week, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau released a memo to all legislators detailing a potential $2.5 billion structural deficit for the next Legislature. The memo relies on current fiscal parameters and the deficit could change with revenue growth or program…

The Capital Times: Chancellor Martin at 2 Years

Last week, Paul Fanlund of The Capital Times offered an in-depth analysis of Chancellor Biddy Martin’s first two years at UW-Madison. Fanlund found Martin to be an optimistic and enthusiastic leader who remains exceedingly careful and disciplined. Her approach to…

Legislative Special Committee Appointments

Many thanks to the following faculty members who have generously agreed to serve on legislative special committees: Jeff Patterson, Family Medicine; Special Committee on Health Care Access Roberta Riportella, Consumer Science; Special Committee on Health Care Access Sara Goldrick-Rab, Educational…

The Widening Education Gap

If you haven’t seen it (or all of it), much has been written over the past several days about the widening gap between workers with degrees and the jobs that require those degrees. On Monday, Georgetown University released a report…

Board of Regents Update

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents had a very full agenda when they met in Milwaukee last Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, the Regents approved a 5.5 percent tuition increase for all 4-year campuses, while tuition remains frozen…