UW, UW System

October Board of Regents Meeting

by  • 

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet via WebEx videoconference tomorrow, Thursday, October 8. Observers may register to watch the meeting here.

Regents meet in committee Thursday morning:

The Audit Committee will hear a progress report on the FY21 audit plan and discuss restructuring of the office of Compliance and Integrity and its youth protection program.

The Capital Planning and Budget Committee will consider approval of several UW-managed construction and renovation projects, including four at UW-Madison. The committee will also receive an update on the 2021-23 Capital Budget.

The Research, Economic Development & Innovation Committee will hear reports on UW-Green Bay’s Water Science program, the effect of COVID-19 on entrepreneurship, and Governor Evers’ Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity.

The Business & Finance Committee will review and consider approval of the Program Revenue Balances Report and discuss two Regent Policy Documents related to foundations and affiliated organizations.

The Education Committee will consider changes to several Regent Policy Documents and and hear two reports on the current semester and online learning.

The full board meets Thursday afternoon. The board will first hear reports from Regent President Drew Petersen and UW System Interim President Tommy Thompson. Petersen is expected to provide an update on the chancellor search at UW-Stevens Point and Thompson will discuss the response to COVID-19 this fall. The board will also hear a report on student behavioral health during the pandemic and recognize the service of Regents Emeritus Gerald Whitburn and Jason Plante and former UW System President Ray Cross.

UW, UW System

UW System Interim President Tommy Thompson WisconsinEye Interview

by  • 

University of Wisconsin System Interim President Tommy Thompson was interviewed yesterday by Steve Walters of WisconsinEye. Thompson spoke about the recent spike in COVID-19 cases at many UW System campuses, including UW-Madison.

Thompson told Walters he expects in-person instruction to resume at campuses that have implemented two-week pauses in an effort to drive down cases of the virus. UW-Madison is in the second week of its pause of on-campus classes.

The state, UW, UW System

August Board of Regents Meeting

by  • 

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet via teleconference Thursday, August 20. Registration to watch the public portions of the meeting is here. The full agenda is here.

Regents begin at 8:45 am with committee meetings:

  • The Business and Finance Committee will consider approval of several contracts and agreements and hear reports on shared services, information security, and state and federal COVID-19 assistance.
  • The Education Committee will consider several new programs, including three at UW-Madison — a Master of Science in Financial Economics, a Master of Science in Information and an Educational Specialist in School Psychology. The committee will also vote on the temporary suspension of the SAT/ACT requirement at UW-Madison
  • The Audit Committee will hear the FY21 Audit Plan Progress Report along with summarized recent audits.
  • The Capital Planning and Budget Committee will consider a renovation project at UW-Stout and hear reports on capital projects and action by the State Building Commission.
  • The Research, Economic Development, and Innovation Committee will hear a report on supporting Wisconsin businesses during the pandemic from Interim President Tommy Thompson and receive updates on the economic impact of COVID-19 in northern Wisconsin and the UW-Green Bay water sciences program.

The full board meets at 12:45 pm. After hearing reports from Regent President Andrew Petersen and Interim President Tommy Thompson, the board will consider the 2021-23 operating budget and capital budget requests. Interim President Thompson announced details about the request Tuesday.

The operating budget proposal — a 3.5 percent increase over the biennium — features ten key initiatives. The cornerstone of the plan is a systemwide free tuition program, the Wisconsin Tuition Promise, for Wisconsin families earning less than $60,000 annually. The proposal extends Bucky’s Tuition Promise, a UW-Madison program created in 2018, to all UW System universities.

Other funding priorities include student loan forgiveness programs for state teachers, 20 new UW-Madison Division of Extension county-based agriculture positions, and support for the Freshwater Collaborative.