UW System leaders spoke to the legislative Joint Committee on Finance last week about Gov. Doyle's 2009-'11 budget proposal and their plans to manage state funding over the next two years.
Committee co-chair Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, said the decisions the committee will have to make to cut spending and increase revenue are difficult but necessary to address Wisconsin's economy.
""We're going to have to deal with the reality that the economy has dropped out of the bottom,"" he said.
At the committee briefings, UW System Board of Regents President Mark Bradley told state lawmakers their investment in the UW System will benefit not only the individuals receiving higher education, but also the entire state and its economy through universities' research and development.
""These are prudent investments in the core of our university system, enabling our campuses to better serve the entire state for decades to come,"" UW System President Kevin Reilly added.
According to Reilly, the UW System Board of Regents intends to develop long-term plans for projects the state will not fund now. and focus on the most essential projects.
""Where the proposed capital budget does not fund other academic and student facilities requested by the Board of Regents, we will work with our campuses to develop long-range plans that address their critical needs,"" he said.
Bradley said undergraduate enrollment has continued to grow despite Wisconsin's economic downturn, and tuition revenues would not be an appropriate way to fill the costs of more students.
""Tuition revenues are no safety net, and I think using tuition revenues to offset [state] cuts would send a wrong message to our students and families,"" Bradley said.
At the Tuesday briefing, state Rep. Robin Vos, R-Racine, said he is hopeful the committee's efforts to address the deficit will be made with bipartisanship, and will not only decrease spending and increase revenue, but will also rebuild the state's economy.
Despite facing cuts in the executive budget, UW System leaders issued a reactionary statement Friday applauding the investments in the UW System found in Doyle's 2009-'11 capital budget.
This budget includes $194 million in state support to renovate or construct 31 major projects throughout the UW system.
Among those, $50 million will go to UW-Madison to construct the Wisconsin Bioenergy Institute research facility. According to Reilly, the facility will enable UW scientists to make medical breakthroughs and find renewable energy sources.
