A vocal UW System critic, state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, was appointed head of the state legislative Committee of Colleges and Universities Tuesday, leaving some state lawmakers and UW System officials questioning the university's future for the next two years under a split-party government.
According to a study conducted by John Witte, a UW-Madison professor of public affairs and political science, a positive correlation exists between U.S. Democratic Party control and university spending between 1972 and 2003. The study was presented at a brown-bag forum on Oct. 25.
Since Democrats gained control of the state Senate in the midterm elections Nov. 7 and Republicans hold narrow control over the Assembly, university funding remains a bi-partisan issue.
According to state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, Democrats have consistently made it a priority to support and fund the university, while Republicans have not. He attributes this to Republican opposition of government spending, as well as their priority of representing wealthy people, who tend to not have as much of a problem paying tuition.
Black also said Democrats believe research at the university should be vigorous and unhindered by politics.
UW System Board of Regents President David Walsh concurred, saying university funding ""isn't a function of party control, it is a function of message.""
According to Walsh, the message is that it is important to have a governor who cares about higher education, regardless of political affiliation—one who is responsive to the persuasive arguments made by the university.
""The question of timing and a healthy economy is more of the issue than party control,"" Walsh said.
Mike Mikalsen, representative for Nass, said the state of Wisconsin has been trying to deal with a lengthy series of structural deficits—$1.6 billion worth—that have restricted the ability of both parties to provide university funding. This is especially because both Democrats and Republicans prioritize K-12 education, leaving little resources for other state programs, including funding for the UW System, he said.
""Whether you are a Democratic or a Republican, neither party will force K-12 to take significant cuts,"" Mikalsen said, explaining that this trend will inevitably continue.
For the next two years, Nass plans to focus on freshman admissions, continue to advocate for a tuition cap and work with UW officials to identify reforms of their own—things they can do with existing resources—in order to funnel those resources to new and improved priorities they are developing, according to Mikalsen.
Walsh said he hopes the university and state legislature will start to focus on the ""important issues""—affordability, access and quality.
