Tag: tuition freeze

June Board of Regents Meeting

by Michelle Felber • June 8, 2022 • Comments Off

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will meet in Milwaukee on Thursday and Friday, June 9 and 10. The meeting will be held in UW-Milwaukee’s Zelazo Center, 2419 Kenwood Blvd. A livestream of the open portions of the meeting is available by registering here.

Regents meet in committee Thursday morning:

The Audit Committee will discuss several items including the 2022 and 2023 Audit plans and the UW System Administration Fiscal Misconduct Policy and Procedures document. The committee will also hear an update from the Chief Compliance Officer.
The Capital Planning and Budget Committee will discuss several real estate transactions and construction projects, including the sale of parking adjacent to the UW Foundation Building and renovation projects at the Elvehjem Building and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Building. The committee will also hear a presentation from UW-Milwaukee and an update on the 2023-29 Capital Plan.
The Research, Economic Development and Innovation Committee will hear from about innovative partnerships from UW-Milwaukee and strategic visioning from UW-Stout, UW System’s polytechnic university.
The Business and Finance Committee will hear an update on the financial impact of Covid-19 and consider ten agreements, including four at UW-Madison.
The Education Committee will consider approval of renaming UW-Milwaukee’s College of Business, new degree programs at UW-Eau Claire, UW-Green Bay, UW-Platteville, UW-River Falls, and UW-Whitewater and liberal arts transfer programs with Southwest Technical College and Chippewa Valley Technical College. The committee will also hear a report on meeting students’ basic needs.

The full board meets Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. On Thursday afternoon, the Regents will hear updates from UW System President Jay Rothman and Regent President Edmund Manydeeds, a presentation on expanding UW-Milwaukee’s impact from Chancellor Mark Mone, and a presentation on the value of a college degree. The board will also discuss the 2022-23 Annual Operating Budget, including tuition and fees. The proposal includes continuing the in-state undergraduate tuition freeze that has been in place since 2013.

On Friday, the board will hear UW-Milwaukee’s Annual NCAA Division I Athletics Report and recognize the recipients of the 2022 Academic Staff Excellence Awards.

Badgers United on UpFront

by Michelle Felber • July 1, 2019 • Comments Off

Amber Schroeder, executive director of Badgers United, recently appeared on WISN’s UpFront (below) to discuss the group’s advocacy efforts on behalf of UW-Madison.

Launched last month, Badgers United was formed to educate the public on the economic impact of UW-Madison and encourage greater state funding for the university. The group’s board of directors includes many prominent alumni, including former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and John and Tashia Morgridge, major donors to UW-Madison.

Schroeder told UpFront host Adrienne Pedersen that UW-Madison contributes $24 for every dollar of state support it receives. She also said the advocacy group supports lifting the tuition freeze and bringing UW-Madison resident undergraduate tuition to the Big Ten average.

Former PROFS President Judith Burstyn on News 3 Now

by Michelle Felber • June 20, 2019 • Comments Off

Former PROFS President Judith Burstyn appeared yesterday on News 3 Now (embedded below).

Burstyn told reporter Rose Schmidt that faculty salaries at UW-Madison lag behind peers and while the current state budget proposal includes two 2 percent pay increases for faculty and staff, the university must reallocate funds from elsewhere on campus to pay for $16 million of the pay raises if tuition remains frozen and the state does not provide inflationary funding.

Newly-elected UW System Board of Regents President Drew Petersen also appeared on the newscast. Petersen told Schmidt that requiring Joint Finance Committee approval for $45 million in state funding to UW System was “a little bit heavy-handed” but he was pleased with the committee’s $1.1 billion allocation for UW System’s capital budget.

Governor Walker on Tenure, Tuition, Free Speech on Campus

by Michelle Felber • May 17, 2016 • Comments Off

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.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Maintaining Quality Education Requires Money

by Michelle Felber • October 23, 2014 • Comments Off

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is offering its opinion on key issues in the gubernatorial race, and K-12 and higher education is the focus of today’s editorial.

The editorial board writes that a tuition freeze is politically popular, but ultimately can harm the university:

. . . the fact is that such a continued freeze could hurt the system’s ability to attract and retain faculty. UW schools are a bargain, with average costs, and quality doesn’t come cheap.

The Journal Sentinel maintains the state should eliminate the tuition freeze while improving funding for UW System.

Pocan: State Should Invest More in UW System

by Michelle Felber • October 2, 2014 • Comments Off

Congressman Mark Pocan

Congressman Mark Pocan recently spoke to the Badger Herald editorial board, sharing his thoughts on Governor Walker’s proposed tuition freeze, the academic reputation of UW-Madison, and cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.

Pocan said while a tuition freeze can help students, a freeze without increased funding from the state ultimately hurts the university:

“If the state of Wisconsin doesn’t invest money in the UW System, it puts pressure on tuition, and then if he (Walker) freezes tuition, you put double pressure on the UW. I’m not advocating for raising tuition, but I’m advocating for the state putting a proper share into the UW, given how much it is an economic engine for the rest of the state.”

Pocan also told the editorial board about his recently-introduced Next Generation Research Act. The proposal would encourage NIH to promote policies and programs that would improve opportunities for new researchers. The genesis for this legislation began last year when PROFS invited the congressman to UW-Madison to discuss federal funding and the Sequestration.

Governor Walker Reaffirms Support of Tuition Freeze

by Michelle Felber • September 15, 2014 • Comments Off

Governor Scott Walker visited four University of Wisconsin System campuses last week, touting his support for a two-year tuition freeze. Speaking to students in Green Bay, Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Racine, Walker said if elected he would support an additional two-year tuition freeze. Tuition was frozen in 2013 after UW System was found to have about $1 billion in reserve.

UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Jim Schmidt told the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram that an extended tuition freeze would have a detrimental impact on his campus:

“Another two-year tuition freeze would certainly have a major impact on the finances of UW-Eau Claire. We are already anticipating an additional cut of at least $3 million in the coming year to address the current tuition freeze.”

In Green Bay, Walker told students that he supported affordability over additional financial aid to students:

“We know it’s not just about providing more financial assistance, it’s about providing a great price for a UW education that’s low to begin with.”

At UW-Madison, tuition revenue funds approximately one-quarter of the cost-to-continue. UW System is currently working with the Department of Administration on an estimate of cost-to-continue as part of the state biennial budget process.