Tag: accountability

November Board of Regents Meeting

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uw system logoThe University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet at 9 am tomorrow, Thursday, November 6, at UW-Madison. The meeting will be held in the Symphony Room of Gordon Dining and Event Center, 770 West Dayton Street. Livestream coverage of the meeting will be available here.

The regents will host several panel discussions on Wisconsin’s workforce issues, and UW System Interim Senior Vice President David Ward and UW-Madison Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf will present accountability reports for 2013-14.

Chancellor Rebecca Blank will be among four chancellors discussing UW System’s response to workforce needs around the state. Other participants include Todd Berry of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance; Reggie Newson, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development; Todd Battle, President of the Kenosha Area Business Alliance; Mark Tyler, President of OEM Fabricators; and Kathi Seifert, former Executive Vice President of Kimberly-Clark.

Governor Scott Walker was invited to the meeting, but a spokesperson said he will not attend.

 

State’s Higher Education Leaders Express Concern Over College Ratings System

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Leaders of the University of Wisconsin System, the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Wisconsin Technical College System released an open letter to President Barack Obama and members of the United States Congress expressing support of the president’s overall vision to improve access and affordability in higher education.

At the same time, the chancellors and presidents expressed deep concern over changes to the Postsecondary Institution Ratings System (PIRS). They are worried that the system could limit student choices and financial aid, ultimately harming affordability and access for the state’s students.

Their letter listed three items of concern:

  • The proposal to tie federal financial aid to college rankings which could unfairly harm institutions that serve disadvantaged students who might take longer to complete a degree.
  • Data about admission, cost, students and faculty are public and widely available. The creation of  a new system could be redundant.
  • Ratings systems can lead to standardization, resulting in less innovation. The leaders support regulatory waivers that would allow campuses to pursue new educational delivery models.