On Thursday, the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee voted along party lines to reject funding for the UW-Madison Engineering Building Project. Our statement on the Committee’s vote is here:
Loading...
Loading...
PROFS and ASPRO will host a campus forum on the state budget at 4 pm, Tuesday, May 2 in the Wisconsin Idea Room in the Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall. This event is open to the public and refreshments will be served.
Our panel:
PROFS Legislative Representative Jack O’Meara will moderate.
In February, Governor Tony Evers announced a $104 billion spending plan that reflected the state’s record $7.1 billion surplus. The governor’s budget focused on increased funding for K-12 education and aid to local governments, middle-class tax cuts, and seed funding for a paid parental leave program for most of the state’s workers, but Republican leaders said they plan to work off the current base budget and create their own plan in the Joint Finance Committee.
The governor also announced a $3.8 billion capital budget, which directed $1.8 billion to UW System. Evers’ plan included four major projects at UW-Madison: a new Engineering Building, a new Athletics practice facility, new space for the Art Department, and restoration of Music Hall, but his proposal was deadlocked in the State Building Commission, leaving the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee to determine the capital budget as well.
Our panelists will offer insight on what a GOP-crafted budget may look like and how Governor Evers may use his veto authority once the bill reaches his desk later this summer.
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet at UW-Stout on Thursday and Friday, March 29 and 30. Registration to view livestream coverage of the public sessions of the board is available here. Members of the board will also participate in an awards ceremony on Wednesday afternoon, an informal reception on Wednesday evening, and a polytechnic showcase on late Thursday afternoon.
Regent committees will meet Thursday morning:
The full board will meet Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. On Thursday, the Regents will hear updates from UW System President Jay Rothman and Board of Regents President Karen Walsh. The Regents will also approve 2023-24 tuition rates and hear presentations from UW-Stout and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference before going into closed session to discuss several items, including honorary degrees, student appeals, and the search process and strategies for a UW-Madison position.
On Friday, the board will hear committee updates and consider approval of action from the previous day, hear an update on improving student accessibility, and present the Board of Regents 2023 Teaching Excellence Awards.
Last night, Governor Tony Evers delivered his biennial budget address, announcing a $104 billion in spending over two years. His plan for the 2023-25 state budget reflects increased spending as a result of a projected $7.1 billion budget surplus at the end of the current fiscal year. The largest items include a $2.6 billion K-12 budget, $1.2 billion in middle-class tax cuts, a second year $576 million increase in aid to local governments, and almost $250 million to seed a new family leave program for public and most private sector employees.
Evers’ budget also includes pay raises of 5% in the first year of the biennium and 3% in the second year and funding UW System’s Wisconsin Tuition Promise.
Our statement on Governor Evers’ budget proposal:
Loading...
Governor Evers’ University of Wisconsin System proposed budget:
Loading...
Following the release of results from a System-wide survey of students and their perceptions of free speech, PROFS and ASPRO (Academic Staff Professionals Representation Organization) will host a campus forum to discuss free speech on campus in a time of increased polarization and student confusion over the First Amendment.
The forum will be held at noon, Wednesday, February 22 in the Grainger Hall Executive Dining Room (Room 1266). PROFS President Michael Bernard-Donals will moderate the panel discussion:
This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Loading...
Loading...
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet in Madison on Thursday and Friday, February 9 and 10. UW-Madison is hosting the meeting, which will be held at Union South, 1308 Dayton Street. Registration for the Zoom link for the meeting is here.
In addition to the formal meeting, an informal welcome reception and tour will be held at the Chemistry Building on Wednesday afternoon, and UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin will host a reception and dinner on Thursday evening.
Members of the board will be in committee meetings Thursday morning:
The full board will meet Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. The agenda Thursday includes updates from UW System President Jay Rothman and Board of Regents President Karen Walsh. President Rothman will discuss the recent student survey on free speech and provide an update on UW-Platteville at Richland and the UW System 2023-28 Strategic Plan. The board will also meet in closed session to discuss honorary degrees at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee.
On Friday, the board will consider approval of committee action, hear a presentation from UW-Madison on the Wisconsin Idea and business partnerships, and recognize recipients of the Board of Regents 2023 Awards, including UW-Madison Communication Arts Professor Lori Kido Lopez, a PROFS Steering Committee member since 2020.
Yesterday, the University of Wisconsin System released results from a survey (below) of students on their perceptions of free speech on campus. The survey was proposed last spring, but its implementation was delayed due to questions about how the survey would be administered. PROFS was very concerned about the survey and called on UW System Interim President Michael Falbo to cancel, rather than postpone, the survey.
The survey was completed last December by nearly 10,500 students representing every four-year campus within UW System. The response rate ranged from 9.4% at UW-Milwaukee to 19.1% at UW-Platteville.
About 40% of students identified as liberal or very liberal, while more than 52% indicated they were moderate, conservative, or very conservative.
Results showed that many students are concerned about how others may view their opinions and worry their grades could suffer if they expressed themselves in class.
Loading...
Governor Tony Evers will deliver his first State of the State Address of his second term in office at 7 pm tonight. Coverage of the speech is available on Wisconsin Public Radio and PBS Wisconsin.
While a preview of the speech was not made available, the governor is expected to offer some insight on where he might direct some of the state’s record $6.6 billion budget surplus as part of the 2023-25 biennial budget.
PROFS has already met with members of Governor Evers’ staff to discuss the upcoming budget, and UW-Madison has outlined its priorities in the handout below. The budget process is lengthy and begins on February 15 when the governor delivers his biennial budget message.
PROFS is actively involved throughout the entire process and will continue to keep faculty and the entire university community informed over the coming months. Follow PROFS on Facebook and Twitter for the most current information.
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab