The Wisconsin State Journal offered strong support of the Badger Partnership in an editorial yesterday. The paper notes that UW-Madison draws more than $1 billion in research funding per year, adding high-paying jobs to the local economy. University Research Park alone is home to more than 3,500 workers who earn salaries of at least $60,000 annually. The Badger Partnership, according to the paper, will help the university deal with inevitable budget cuts and continue to provide the state with well-educated graduates necessary to fuel a new economy.
Similarly, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel offered an editorial last week in support of greater flexibility for the entire UW System. Without greater flexibility or increased funding, which is highly unlikely, the university risks “a slow slide to mediocrity.”