Board of Regents members discussed distribution plans for UW System funds as well as a strategy for a more inclusive approach to increasing campus diversity at their meeting Thursday.
The UW System Board of Regents met Thursday to approve the 2009-'10 distribution of general-purpose revenue funds among campuses.
The allocation of funds comes after Governor Doyle's 2009-'11 budget proposal for Wisconsin. The budget requires a $174 million cut for the system, a 1-percent decrease across the board. From the 1-percent cut, UW-Madison would see a $3,311,763 reduction.
Chancellor Biddy Martin commented on the impact of Doyle's budget proposal, citing a possible decrease in degrees offered in the College of Letters and Science.
Martin said departments that could restrict the number of students who major include economics, biology, chemistry and spanish. She said there could also be a reduction in undergraduate admissions in certain schools like nursing, where there would need to be an immediate 15-student reduction.
""I think the value of a Madison degree over a lifetime is much too important to have significant damage … Let us not undermine a UW system degree,"" she said.
Martin also cited a possible $20 million drop in annual research scholar money obtained by the university. According to Martin, each faculty member involved in research on campus makes over $200,000 a year.
Tom Andrews of the Business, Finance and Audit Committee presented the report of the state budget and possible reductions in certain areas throughout the system.
""We recognize the difficulty the governor is facing, there are major issues he is facing,"" he said. ""But by the same token, we have to advocate for higher education as well,"" he said.
The final budget for 2010 will be discussed in the Board of Regents meeting in July.
Post-Plan 2008
After discussing the outcomes of Plan 2008, the board unanimously agreed to proceed with a more inclusive direction to promote diversity in the UW System.
Kevin Reilly, UW System President, said the Board of Regents still has work to do in promoting diversity on campus, despite an overall increase in diversity after Plan 2008.
""We need to make sure all of our institutions and campuses are places where all are welcome, and where all can succeed and thrive,"" he said.
According to Rebecca Martin, UW System Interim Director of Academic Affairs, the inclusive excellence approach focuses more on changing overall personal and institutional cultural perspectives.
""Inclusion is the active intentional ongoing engagement of diversity which is at the heart of inclusive excellence,"" she said. ""And it asks for inclusion to the present in the people we serve, in the curriculum and throughout our communities.""
The regents analyzed several issues within the inclusive excellence plan like financial aid, stereotypes, educators of color and pre-college programs.
Regent Elizabeth Burmaster said there needs to be an increase in the number of minority educators, reflecting the number of minority students to improve diversity in the system.
According to Regent Danae Davis, the system should find a more effective way of assessing the pre-college programs for high school students.
""We need to figure out some way to string pre-college pipelines and have them result in increased enrollment in students of color,"" she said.
The UW System Board of Regents will not reconvene Friday for a second session as in past meetings.
