PROFS is calling on members of the Legislature to remove troublesome language relating to faculty workload requirements from the state budget bill. The bill, a bipartisan compromise between Governor Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders, was approved by the Joint Finance Committee yesterday.
Our statement:
Loading...
Loading...
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 letterheadMay 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.
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.
Loading...
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.
Loading...
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:
- Trump’s victory sets stage for dramatic changes to higher ed policy
- What Trump’s Victory Means for Higher Ed
- Anxiety and Speculation in Wake of Trump’s Win
- Trump’s win could spell the end of Biden’s higher education policies
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 PresidentJack O’Meara
PROFS Lobbyist
A legislative study committee has been meeting since July to discuss UW System’s enrollment and budget challenges. The committee met for last time last month and voted on 19 proposed recommendations, and the results of their votes were made public on Thursday. Our statement on their action is here:
Loading...
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.
Loading...
The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents is meeting at UW-Parkside on Thursday and Friday, September 26 and 27. Registration to watch the open portions of the meetings is here. The Regents met informally at a welcome reception on Wednesday evening and will meet again at the inauguration of UW-Parkside Chancellor Lynn Akey on Thursday evening.
The Regents will be in committee meetings Thursday morning:
The Regents will meet in full session Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. On Thursday, they will hear a presentation from UW-Parkside Chancellor Lynn Akey and updates from UWs President Jay Rothman and Regent President Amy Bogost. They will also discuss the planning, approval, and review of the academic program array and present 2024 University Staff Excellence Awards.
Regents will meet in two separate closed sessions — one to discuss the dismissal with cause of former UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow and one to discuss potential litigation, the naming of a UW-Oshkosh facility, and chancellor performance evaluations.
Earlier today, PROFS sent a letter to Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and UW Board of Regents President Amy Blumenfeld Bogost encouraging them to support the $800 million biennial budget proposal that Governor Tony Evers shared with the board earlier this summer.
Our letter:
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab