Category: The state

August Board of Regents Meeting

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uw system logoThe University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet at UW-Madison’s Gordon Event Center on Thursday, August 18. Livestream coverage of the full board portion of the meeting is here.

Committee work begins at 8:15 am and the full board meets at 11:15 am. All regents will discuss UW System’s strategic framework (2020FWD) and the 2017-19 operating and capital budget requests.

UW System is proposing a $42.5 million increase in state funding over the next biennium. The increase will largely go toward initiatives to develop the state’s workforce and improve the its economy. Governor Walker told all state department heads to submit budget requests with no new funding for 2017-19, but he also said he would consider performance-based funding increases for UW. Criteria for such an increase might include graduation and post-graduation employment rates.

The Education Committee will discuss several new degree programs and hear updates on the post-tenure review policy and math placement test cutoff scores.

The Business and Finance Committee will hear several reports and review three contractual agreements.

The Research, Economic Development, and Innovation Committee will hear a report on the Career Connect Web Portal and an update on UW-Madison’s research efforts.

The Audit Committee will review fiscal 2017 audit plan progress and several reports. The committee will also discuss the Three Lines of Defense Model is a simple and common sense approach for risk oversight.

2020FWD.pdf by Michelle Felber on Scribd

 

 

Walker: Budget Increase Tied to Performance Measures

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Speaking in his weekly radio address, Governor Scott Walker reiterated his intention to freeze UW System tuition for two more years and said he will tie any increases for UW System in the 2017-19 state budget to performance measures such as number of graduates and graduate employment rates.

A transcript of the address is here.

Fall Primary Tomorrow

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election dayVoters throughout Wisconsin may vote in fall primary elections from 7 am until 8 pm tomorrow, Tuesday, August 9.

Information on registration and voting in Wisconsin is available here.

The July 29 court ruling that struck down much of Wisconsin’s voter identification law does not affect this election. Voter identification will be required to cast a ballot tomorrow.

Many legislative races in the state are uncontested, but several Assembly races in Dane County are contested:

• 47th Assembly District: Three candidates are vying to replace Robb Kahl (D-Monona): Jimmy Anderson, a Fitchburg attorney and drunk driving victims rights advocate; Julia Arata-Fratta, a Fitchburg accountant and city council member; and Tony Hartmann, a Fitchburg business owner and city council member.

• 78th Assembly District: First-term incumbent Lisa Subeck (D-Madison) is facing challenger Jacob Wischmeier, a hotel manager from Madison. Wischmeier is running as a self-described Bernie Sanders Democrat who has said he would be the most outspoken member of the legislature if elected.

• 80th Assembly District: Long-time Representative Sondy Pope (D-Mount Horeb) is facing challenger Luke Joseph, a materials handler from Oregon. Joseph supports constitutional carry, the right to carry weapons without a permit or mandatory training, and opposes the use of fetal tissue in scientific research

The winners of these primaries will almost certainly be elected in November because there are no Republicans candidates on the ballot for these districts.

ETA: Jimmy Anderson (47th AD), Lisa Subeck (78th AD) and Sondy Pope (80th AD) won their primaries.

June Board of Regents Meeting

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uw system logoThe University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet at UW-Milwaukee Thursday and Friday, June 9 and 10. All meetings will be held in the UW-Milwaukee Union, 2200 East Kenwood Boulevard. Livestream coverage of the full board meeting is available here.

The regents meet in committee Thursday morning.

The Education Committee will hear a report on academic and student affairs issues and discuss several degree programs.

The Business and Finance Committee will discuss several contractual agreements, consider a request by UW-Madison to be granted permission to fully spend a recent bequest, and hear updates on the integration of UW Hospital and the UW Medical Foundation, the system-wide title and compensation study, and UW-Milwaukee’s response to current fiscal challenges.

The Capital Planning and Budget Committee will discuss several building projects (including UW-Madison’s Witte Hall) and the sale of university-owned properties.

The Research, Economic Development and Innovation Committee will hear presentations from Brightstar Wisconsin Foundation, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), and UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone.

The Audit Committee will discuss the progress of the Fiscal 2016 Audit Plan and review and approve the Fiscal 2017 Audit Plan.

The full board meets Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Three newly-appointed Regents will be introduced: non-traditional student Lisa Erickson of Osceola, Milwaukee attorney Tracey Klein and Janesville attorney Bryan Steil.

The board will discuss and approve its 2016-17 operating budget, including tuition and segregated fee schedule. UW System announced yesterday it would not release budget documents prior to Thursday’s meeting.

The board will also discuss a request by UW System President Ray Cross to urge legislators to fund a 33 percent increase in the Wisconsin Grant program. Funding for the grant program has remained flat at 2010-11 levels, while the number of students receiving aid has increased by 28 percent.

 

Governor Walker on Tenure, Tuition, Free Speech on Campus

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Governor Scott Walker spoke about UW System and recent faculty no confidence votes with Jay Weber on WISN radio yesterday.

The pair touched on several subjects, including tenure (“jobs for life”), the possibility of extending the tuition freeze into the next biennium, shared governance and giving more power to the chancellors, strengthening free speech on campus, and “superstar” faculty members who bring in large amounts of research funding.

Wisconsin Technology Council Report: The Value of Higher Education to Wisconsin’s Economy

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The Wisconsin Technology Council, an independent, non-profit board of leaders in business, technology, education and investments, released a report (below) examining the role of public support in higher education in the state. Their conclusion?

“Further cuts in public support for higher education in Wisconsin will harm the state’s economy, which relies on colleges and universities for talent, technology transfer and business development in the communities those institutions serve.”

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UW System Campus Budget Cuts

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The University of Wisconsin System released one-page summaries (below) of how each campus, along with UW Colleges and Extension, is managing its share of the historic $250 million state budget cut.

System leaders had originally planned for each campus chancellor to present a five-minute summary of budget cuts to the Board of Regents last week, but that plan was scrapped because  UW System President Ray Cross was concerned about the length and tone of the presentations.

Legislative Update

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state_capitol_dawn07_4080Tenure and Shared Governance

The Board of Regents met last month and approved three policies related to tenure, post-tenure review, and faculty layoffs. The meeting was contentious at times as the board rejected three faculty-supported amendments offered by Regent Tony Evers.

The language approved by the board was broad and intends to serve as an umbrella policy for individual campuses. The Regent Education Committee will consider UW-Madison’s faculty layoff policy (below), approved by the Faculty Senate in November, at its meeting in Green Bay later this week.

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Wisconsin Legislature

Republican legislative leaders have said the legislature has concluded its regular 2015-16 session. The legislature is unlikely to meet again this spring, but could reconvene in special or extraordinary sessions later this year. PROFS monitored and lobbied on the following bills this session:

Assembly Bill 305/Senate Bill 260, Limits on Scientific Research—Passed committee, never brought to the floor

PROFS registered against AB 305 and SB 260, proposals that would make it illegal to provide or use for experimentation fetal body parts.

Assembly Bill 480/Senate Bill 363, Campus Concealed Carry—In Committee

PROFS registered against AB SB 363, legislation that would have require UW System and Wisconsin Technical College System campuses to allow concealed carry of weapons in campus buildings. Current law permits concealed carry on campus grounds, but allows individual campuses to forbid weapons in buildings.

Assembly Bill 485/Senate Bill 365, Bans Guns on College Campuses—In Committee

PROFS registered in favor of this bill, which would ban guns on college campuses.

Assembly Bill 814, Shared Governance—In Committee

PROFS registered in favor of this bill, which would have returned university, shared governance to state statutes.

Assembly Bill 898, Tenure—In Committee

PROFS registered in favor of this bill, which would have restored strong tenure language to state statutes.

College Affordability Package—Four bills signed into law

Governor Walker signed four of six bills into law last month. A PROFS statement on the bills is here.

Senate Bill 276, Parking Revenue

Governor Walker signed this bill into law. It allows the university to spend parking revenue on campus safety and transportation programs. PROFS registered in favor of this proposal.

Senate Bill 571, Sale of Agricultural Lands

Governor Walker signed this bill into law. It expands UW System Board of Regent authority over agricultural lands. PROFS registered in favor of this proposal.