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Legislative Update

Capitol_tulips94_10State Budget Update

The 2015-17 biennial budget process continues. The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee began meeting in executive session last month, but has yet to consider motions relating to the University of Wisconsin System.

Committee leaders have said they would like to conclude its work by the end of May, with the budget bill then moving to Senate and Assembly for their consideration. The entire process is expected to conclude in late June.

Public authority out of budget  Representative John Nygren (R-Marinette) and Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) announced today that the public authority plan for the University of Wisconsin System was dead and the committee would instead consider granting the university greater budget and management flexibilities.

Meetings with legislators  PROFS continues to meet with key legislators and lobby on behalf of faculty, focusing on senate resolutions on state budget cuts and shared governance and funding for the Chemistry Building project. Members of the PROFS steering committee have met with more than a dozen legislators and staff since the beginning of the year.

Size of budget cuts While some legislative leaders have expressed a desire to lessen the size of the cut to UW System, both Governor Scott Walker and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said revenue estimates expected later this week are likely to be lower than hoped and the first priority is K-12 education.

Fitzgerald also said he had less of a commitment to decrease the cut after the Board of Regents approved tuition increases on out-of-state and professional students earlier this month. Despite the unpopularity of the proposed cut — one poll found seventy percent of the state opposed — Fitzgerald said some legislators still have a “bitter taste in their mouths” after the budget surplus issue of the last biennium.

Tuition Freeze Governor Walker said in his budget errata message last month he intends to limit tuition increases to no more than the annual change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) after a two-year freeze. UW System President Ray Cross said tying tuition increases to CPI “is not compatible with the agile, market-driven, and competitive entity the state needs us to be.”

Many higher education experts believe the plan to be unworkable: “Because the costs associated with running universities naturally exceed the costs of basic goods and services as represented in the CPI, limiting tuition increases to increases in the CPI is the wrong yard stick to use and is also very likely to reduce the ability of Wisconsin universities to offer the same quality as they have in the past,” said Professor Michael McLendon of Southern Methodist University.

Board of Regents

The UW System Board of Regents does not have a May meeting scheduled, but will meet in Milwaukee on June 4 and 5. Governor Scott Walker is expected to name three new regents this month as Regent President Michael Falbo, Regent David Walsh and traditional student Regent Anicka Purath complete their terms.

Three UW-Madison faculty members will serve on Regent task forces on shared governance and tenure – Biomedical Engineering Professor Beth Meyerand is a member of the shared governance task force, while Kinesiology Professor Dorothy Farrar-Edwards and Plant Pathology Professor Patricia McManus will serve on the tenure task force.

 

WAA Fall Forum

Dozens of alumni and friends of the University of Wisconsin-Madison gathered Saturday to discuss the state budget process and learn how they can play a role in advocating for the university. PROFS President Grant Petty attended, along with legislative representative Jack O’Meara and administrator Michelle Felber.

Attendees heard from Chancellor Rebecca Blank, Associate Vice Chancellor Charles Hoslet, and Chemistry Professor Robert Hamers.

Blank and Hoslet focused their remarks on the biennial budget process, while Hamers discussed the proposed Chemistry Building renovation project and the importance of the department to other departments, schools, and colleges throughout campus. WAA also shared a new video that was sent to alumni and donors throughout Wisconsin.

Hamers’ PowerPoint:

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Hoslet’s PowerPoint:

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WAA video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO3R8VUrpIs

 

 

Board of Regents Approve Budget Request

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents met in Madison last week in a regularly scheduled two-day meeting. Audio and video from the meeting is available here. The Regents discussed UW System’s annual accountability reports and the 2013 biennial budget…

February Board of Regents Meeting

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet at UW-Madison Thursday and Friday, February 6 and 7. All meetings will be held at Union South, 1308 West Dayton Street as UW-Madison is the official host of the meeting. Livestream coverage of the full board portions of the meeting is available here. UW-Madison will welcome board members for a reception and facility visit at the George L. Mosse Humanities Building Wednesday evening.

Regents meeting in committee Thursday morning.

  • The Business and Finance Committee will hear several reports, including one from UW-Madison Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Laurent Heller. The committee will also discuss non-resident tuition increases at six campuses, several agreements and contracts, and changes to two Regent Policy Documents, including one that relates to Wisconsin Act 36 (Mark Cook Bill).
  • The Education Committee will hear several updates, including one from UW-Madison Provost Karl Scholz, and consider new degree programs at UW-Madison, UW-Platteville and UW-Whitewater.
  • The Audit Committee will hear several reports on topics including audit, internal controls, enterprise risk management, and compliance.
  • The Capital Planning and Budget Committee will discuss several UW-Madison building projects, including the proposed renovation and addition to Sellery Hall.
  • The Research, Economic Development and Innovation Committee will hear a report from UW-Madison Women in Science and Engineering and an update from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

The full board meets at 1 pm Thursday. UW-Madison Chancellor Blank will address the board, discussing how the university is facing the rapidly changing world of higher education. Regents will move into closed session after a panel discussion on the state’s achievement/opportunity gap.

The Regents meet at 9 am Friday. They will hear reports from UW System President Ray Cross and Regent President Andrew Petersen and consider approval of committee action from Thursday. The UW-Madison Athletics Department will present its annual NCAA Division I report and the Board of Regents will present the 2020 Diversity Awards, including one to the UW-Madison Department of Chemistry.

Joint Finance Committee Votes to Reduce Construction Bonding by $250 Million

The Joint Finance Committee voted 12-4 along party lines last week to reduce bonding for new construction by $250 million. Governor Scott Walker’s original 2013-15 biennial budget proposal called for $1.14 billion in bonding. The committee did not specify which…

Campus Connection: Lessons for UW-Madison

Todd Finkelmeyer has an excellent piece about the University of Virginia crisis in this week’s Capital Times. Finkelmeyer notes that while the Virginia crisis failed to attract much local attention, several UW-Madison faculty followed the situation with interest and concern:…