Category: UW System

Senator Fitzgerald on Capitol City Sunday

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Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) discussed the state budget on WKOW’s Capitol City Sunday with Greg Neumann this week.

Fitzgerald was asked how his caucus will prioritize any additional revenue after revised estimates are announced next week. He said the estimates are likely to be lower than hoped and the first priority is K-12 education, followed by the state’s transportation needs.

When asked about Governor Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million budget cut to UW System, Fitzgerald said he had less of a commitment to decrease the cut after the Board of Regents approved tuition increases on out-of-state and professional students earlier this month.

Despite the unpopularity of the proposed cut — one poll found seventy percent of the state opposed — Fitzgerald told Neumann that some legislators still have a bitter taste in their mouths after the budget surplus issue of the last biennium.

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Senate Leaders Disagree on Proposed Cuts to UW System

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Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) and Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Schilling (D-La Crosse) appeared on UpFront with Mike Gousha on April 12 and agreed on little, including Governor Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System.

Fitzgerald said he believes the quality of a University of Wisconsin education will not suffer as a result of budget cuts — “I think they will be fine in the end” —  while Schilling maintained the proposed cuts have already adversely affected campuses around the state, citing already-announced buyouts at five campuses. Schilling also said time to degree could increase as a result of the cuts.

Discussion about UW System begins at the 3:45 minute mark.

Governor Walker: Freeze Tuition for Two Years, Tie Future Increases to Inflation

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Governor Scott Walker said yesterday in a letter to the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance (below) that he continues to support public authority status for the University of Wisconsin System. Legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle have expressed concern over the proposal, with Joint Finance Committee Co-chair John Nygren (R-Marinette) saying the plan had little support among Assembly Republicans and is “dead in our caucus.”

Walker also said he intends to limit tuition increases to no more than the annual change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) after a two-year freeze, saying the move would protect students and parent from unpredictable tuition increases.

UW System President Ray Cross said in statement (below) that tying tuition increases to CPI “is not compatible with the agile, market-driven, and competitive entity the state needs us to be.”

The governor also said he would not change statutory language regarding the university’s mission, thus keeping the Wisconsin Idea intact.

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March 25 State Budget Forum

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EducBldg_extr_doors10_7628PROFS will host a forum to discuss the 2015-17 state budget at 3:30 pm on Wednesday, March 25 in the Wisconsin Idea Room in the Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall. This event is free and open to the public.

State Representative Chris Taylor (D-Madison), former Department of Administration (Thompson and McCallum) Secretary George Lightbourn, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Government and Corporate Affairs Charles Hoslet will share their expertise and take questions.

Questions at the forum include:

  • What is the likelihood public authority will remain in the budget?
  • What flexibilities can the university expect if public authority is removed?
  • Will the $300 million budget cut be reduced? If so, by how much?
  • How will tenure and shared governance look in Board of Regent policy?
  • What is the timeline for the budget and how can the budget change?

Legislative Fiscal Bureau budget papers can be found here once they are published.

Nygren and Knudson Announce New Plan for UW System

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Representatives John Nygren (R-Marinette) and Dean Knudson (R-Hudson), co-chair and member of the Joint Finance Committee, respectively, announced they will recommend changes to Governor Scott Walker’s budget plan for UW System (below).

The legislators said they will work to reduce the $300 million cut proposed by the governor, but will not support full public authority for the system, saying the university indicated it was not interested in significant change:

“(I)t is clear from their response that the Regents, Chancellors and university administrators are not ready for this level of independence. We believe the legislature must maintain control and supervision over the university system.”

Nygren and Knudson also support tuition increases for graduate and out-of-state students while continuing to freeze tuition for two more years. They also want campuses to spend down reserves.

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Democrats to Host Budget Listening Sessions

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Democratic leaders and members of the Joint Committee on Finance announced yesterday they would hold nine public listening sessions over the next few weeks in an effort to receive more public input on the proposed state budget.

The Finance Committee is hosting four official public hearings — the first will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18, in Brillion.

The Democratic listening session schedule is as follows:

 

Vos: Budget Cut is Deeper Than What I Would Have Done; Legislature Could Change Tenure

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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) told WisconsinEye senior producer Steve Walters he believed Governor Scott Walker’s proposed $300 million cut to the University of Wisconsin System budget was too large and he would support a smaller cut if state revenues allow.

Vos, appearing with Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) on Civil Dialogue, also said he does not support full public authority status for the system. The full video is embedded below. Remarks about the UW System begin at the 13 minute mark and continue for about 7 minutes.

Vos said Board of Regent action last week suggests the Regents are unlikely to implement major changes to tenure and “all these different things,” making full public authority unnecessary. He questioned the need for public authority if the board is going to protect the status quo and fears a large tuition increase would be the outcome of public authority.

Instead, Vos said he supports specific management flexibilities in procurement and building projects. Vos later told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the legislature has the ability to end tenure and shared governance.

Barca told Walters the budget proposal would devastate the UW System and would result in increased time to degree for students and the loss of faculty members to other universities. Barca also noted the average UW-Madison faculty member brings in an average of $250,000 in outside funding which would also be lost.

With regard to flexibility, Barca said he supports flexibility, but increased autonomy would make up only a small percentage of the budget cuts.

AAUP Statement on Proposed UW System Public Authority Plan

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aaup-logo-2_0American Association of University Professors President Rudy Fichtenbaum released a statement (below) yesterday calling for the University of Wisconsin System administration to oppose the proposal to transform UW System from a state agency into a public authority.

Fichtenbaum says the proposal could profoundly undermine tenure, due process, and shared governance. In particular, he is concerned about the statutory removal of these faculty rights.

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Board of Regent Resolutions

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The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents adopted two resolutions relating to the 2015-17 biennial budget proposal last week.

One resolution called for a reduction in the proposed base budget cut and supported management flexibilities either through public authority status or new legislation:

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The second resolution reaffirmed support for shared governance and tenure and asked for authorization to establish policies of shared governance and tenure should they be removed from state statute:

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Four Public Hearings on State Budget Planned

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Joint Committee on Finance co-chair John Nygren (R-Marinette) announced four public hearings on Assembly Bill 21, the 2015-17 biennial budget proposal, will be held later this month:

The committee is expected to begin voting on motions related to the bill in April.