Governor Scott Walker will deliver his fourth State of the State address at 7 pm on Wednesday, January 22. Walker, who is running for re-election in November, will likely outline his legislative priorities for the remainder of his term and may offer hints about his campaign against Democrat Mary Burke.
PROFS will post links to live video and audio streams of the speech when they become available.
The University of Wisconsin System will host public videoconferences with three finalists for UW System president today, Monday, January 6:
Faculty, staff, students, and members of the public may watch and participate in the open forums at locations on each UW System campus. UW-Madison is hosting two sites: Room 4500, Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, 330 North Orchard Street, and Room L138, Education building, 1000 Campus Mall. UW-Extension is hosting a site in Room 523, UW-Extension building, 432 North Lake Street.
The finalists will also be interviewed by the Regent selection committee, chaired by Regent president Michael Falbo and comprised of Regents John Behling, Margaret Farrow, Tracy Hribar, Edmund Manydeeds, and Gerald Whitburn. The new president will be named on Thursday, January 9.
UW System Board of Regents President Michael Falbo announced three finalists for president’s position today:
These finalists will be interviewed by the Regent selection committee on Monday, January 6. The committee, chaired by Falbo and comprised of Regents John Behling, Margaret Farrow, Tracy Hribar, Edmund Manydeeds, and Gerald Whitburn, will meet Tuesday, January 7 and recommend one candidate who must then be approved by the full Board of Regents on Thursday, January 9.
Faculty, staff, students, and the public will have the opportunity to interact with the candidates during statewide video conferences on Monday, January 6. Information on these events is here.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos recently told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the open search process kept at least one interested candidate from applying for the president’s position and he is considering a proposal that would allow for secret searches when hiring future UW leaders:
“I’m a big believer in transparency. I want to have as transparent a process as possible. But I don’t want the process to result in candidates who are second or third tier — and we all know who they are — as opposed to getting top-tier candidates.”
Current state law requires the public announcement of finalists for UW System president and UW System chancellor positions.
Regent and former State Senator Margaret Farrow said she knew of at least one qualified candidate who declined to apply because he or she did not want to be publicly named if named a finalist. Farrow also said she was hoping non-traditional candidates would apply for the president’s position. She noted that UW System is “a big business with a strong link to the academic world.”
Wisconsin’s tradition of open searches has become more rare among institutions of public higher education. Nancy Zimpher, Chancellor of the State University of New York System, told attendees at a PROFS forum last year that open searches can keep many top-quality candidates from applying for chancellor positions.
Closed searches have traditionally been opposed by faculty, staff, and students and proponents of open government. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial board opposes Vos’s proposal, writing that they are “concerned that pulling down the blinds on the process is overkill. There is little evidence that UW isn’t attracting top candidates for its open positions.”
ETA: Correct date of videoconferences
The University of Wisconsin System President search and screen committee met yesterday and is meeting again today, December 19 and 20, to discuss candidates to replace outgoing President Kevin Reilly.
PROFS Steering Committee member Sue Babcock is the only UW-Madison faculty member on the committee, which is comprised of regents, former regents, and UW System faculty, staff, and students.
The committee will narrow its selection to five or more candidates and forward those names to the UW System Regent selection committee later today. Names of the finalists are expected to be released January 2.
Assembly Special Election Republican Ken Skowronski of Franklin easily defeated Democrat John Hermes of of Greendale yesterday to fill a vacant seat in the 82nd Assembly District. Former Representative Jeff Stone (R-Greendale) resigned in October to become an administrator for the Public Service Commission. Republicans now have a 60-39 majority in the Assembly.
Bills Signed into Law Governor Scott Walker signed nearly 50 bills into law last week, including one that will require an additional year of science and math credits for state high school students and one that allows closure of managed forest land that contain a proposed mine site.
Bills signed on December 12 are here and bills signed on December 13 are here. The governor has not indicated if he will sign the controversial race-based mascot bill. The bill was sent to the governor on December 12 and automatically becomes law if no action is taken within six days.
2014 Elections Democratic State Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma) has not said if she will challenge Mary Burke of Madison for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Vinehout was injured in a car accident last week while driving to an event in Racine and is recovering from surgery.
State Senator Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) has not decided if he will run for re-election. Representative Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) said in April he will challenge Schultz for the nomination. Schultz has voted with Democrats on several key pieces of legislation, including collective bargaining rights for public employees and mining legislation.
State Senator Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) announced he will run for Attorney General. Several Democrats have declared their candidacy for the senate seat, including Milwaukee County Assistant District Attorney Dan Adams; Jonathan Brostoff, a former aide to Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee); Milwaukee County Board Chair Marina Dimitrijevic; and Sara Geenen, a Milwaukee labor lawyer.
State Representative Janet Bewley (D-Ashland) launched her campaign for State Senate in the 25th District this week. State Senator Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) announced earlier this year he will not run for re-election after serving the district for 28 years.
State Senator Tim Cullen (D-Janesville) also said earlier this year he will not run for re-election, leaving that seat open. No candidates have declared their intention to run.
State Senator John Lehman (D-Racine) announced last month that he will run for Lieutenant Governor in 2014, leaving his seat open. Lehman was first elected to the senate in 2006, but was defeated by Republican Van Wangaard in 2010. Lehman defeated Wangaard in a 2012 recall election. The district, however, has become more Republican as a result of redistricting.
UW-Madison ranks eighth among public universities according to Kiplinger Magazine’s most recent rankings of colleges and universities, up two place from last year. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill ranked first. Sixth-ranked University of Michigan was the only Big Ten school ranked higher than UW-Madison.
Kiplinger cites access to political jobs in the capitol and numerous tech start-ups as a reason why students choose to attend UW-Madison. The magazine also notes that the average cost for in-state students after need-based aid is applied fell by more than $800 this year.
