The Governor's budget proposal relating to the
University of Wisconsin System has received much attention over
the past few weeks. Below, you can read my views on the budget
in this area, thus far.
I am talking regularly with higher education stakeholders on all
aspects of the budget pertaining to this area. My Op-Ed submitted to the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on January 30, 2015:
The UW System: Challenges and Opportunities Moving Forward
Governor Walker announced details of is 2015-2017 budget
proposal that would turn the University of Wisconsin System (UW)
into a public authority, extend the tuition freeze, and cut
funding by $300 million. In anticipation of the governor's
Biennial Budget Address on February 3rd, a dynamic conversation
has already begun among policymakers, members of the UW, and
citizens in the state. Great change is often met with great
anxiety, but this is also a time of opportunity. The governor's
plan offers a strong starting point as we begin the
budget-making process in the legislature where this proposal
will be scrutinized more closely as we gather feedback from the
public. The goal is simple: provide tools to
enhance education and increase efficiency to save taxpayer
dollars. For too long, the UW was limited by volatile state
budgets and onerous regulations. The UW has sought autonomy from
state bureaucratic rules that are not conducive to higher
education. Under a public authority model, the UW will have the
ability to design their budgets and programs with consistency,
which is important for an entity whose product and mission is
not based on a two-year budget or election cycle. The tools
given to the UW and individual campuses will create long-term
opportunities to save taxpayers money. The administration, with
faculty, staff and student input, should have control of their
decision-making process because they know best how to run their
campuses. I recognize the strain of $150 million
a year in reductions and the legislature will discuss whether
this is an appropriate level to cut. As with any policy
discussion, unintended consequences must be avoided. For
instance, we do not want to jeopardize the opportunity for
UW-Milwaukee to become a top-tier research university or see a
large number of staff reductions across the system. We will hear
worst-case scenario reactions from the UW and other
stakeholders, but I am confident that over the next few months
we will have healthy debates that ultimately result in a
stronger UW. The tuition freeze keeps Governor
Walker's promise to the taxpayers of Wisconsin, but more
discussion is needed to ensure that the UW continues to
prioritize accessibility for in-state students and that our
students are not hit with massive tuition increases two years
from now. Recruiting more nonresident students who pay twice as
much tuition as resident students will be tempting. I look
forward to the dialogue on how autonomy will affect tuition
rates because we need to balance the needs of the UW with the
needs of the students and the hardworking families who pay for a
college education.
As Chair of the Assembly Committee on Colleges
and Universities, my vision going forward is the following:
maintain the high quality of a Wisconsin education, mitigate
potentially large tuition increases in 2017, preserve in-state
accessibility, and empower the Board of Regents and individual
campuses so they will be responsive and adaptable to evolving
needs. Population trends indicate a smaller pool of incoming
students, and an efficient UW that delivers value and a
competitive advantage to attract and retain talented students
and faculty will be more important than ever to the future
success of the UW. We all have challenges to meet
and promises to keep. The UW has a rich history and long-held
traditions that advance the Wisconsin Idea and we have the
responsibility going forward to renew and enrich these ideals.
The University of Wisconsin has been and will continue to be
crucial to our state's success. In the very near future, I
believe Wisconsin could have a better and stronger UW that
exerts an even greater impact on every Wisconsinite. |