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.
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Voters 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.
The 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 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.
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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