August Board of Regents Meeting

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

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

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

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.