Chancellor Biddy Martin just can't catch a break when it comes to the New Badger Partnership. After she attracted support from major student leaders across campus, Martin was left with the daunting task of capturing the heart of one of Wisconsin's most intransigent politicians to date—Gov. Scott Walker. Fortunately for Martin, the idea of the partnership was established even before Walker came to office. And to Martin's delight, Walker released a 2011- '13 biennial budget containing all the statutory language needed to grant UW-Madison more autonomy under—much to the UW System's surprise and dismay—a public authority model.
So why did students receive yet another broken-record e-mail reiterating Martin's support for the New Badger Partnership while exhausting the words ""flexibility"" and ""tools necessary"" until my eyes bled Wednesday night? Because Martin has yet another crowd to woo in favor of the partnership.
The e-mail came after 13 out of the 14 UW System schools signed a proposal calling for Wisconsin legislators to consider the Board of Regents' new Wisconsin Idea Partnership as an alternative to Martin's New Badger Partnership. The Wisconsin Idea Partnership grants all UW System schools the same flexibility to set tuition rates and salaries while maintaining the Board of Regents' umbrella of authority over UW-Madison.
In a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel guest opinion piece, Board of Regents president Charles Pruitt and vice president Michael Spector said ""Regents and chancellors agree that [UW-Madison's separation from the UW-System] is counter to the Wisconsin Idea and the interests of all Wisconsin citizens.""
Martin and other UW-Madison officials supported the split because of the university's reputation as a major economic hub for jobs and research. With the public authority model, UW-Madison would operate under a governing board that is tailored to the specific needs of a prominent research institution. In turn, jurisdiction over UW-Madison's finances would be transferred from the Board of Regents to a new 21-member Board of Trustees, granting the UW more control over its own budget.
But this means that the regents would have to separate from its crown jewel, forcing Martin to play another round of hardball with hesitant UW System schools. Unfortunately for Martin, she has little room to complain.
The chancellor can't catch a break because she screwed up. Since she didn't intend to separate UW-Madison from the UW System, news of her support of Walker's idea to separate the campus reached the Board of Regent's late in the game. She gave little-to-no warning that the New Badger Partnership may completely alter the status quo among the UW System; which sparked backlash from confused chancellors all pleading for similar autonomy. And with all 14 campuses arguing for their own flexibility, the Board of Regents feared an empty nest and hastily created a weak partnership to try and keep everything under control.
In the rush to maintain authority over all of the UW System campuses, the Board of Regents drew up a mere five-page proposal attempting to relay all the same amenities that the New Badger Partnership incorporates to every school. But I can't say their requests are unreasonable. The regents understand that Wisconsin is in an economic climate that warrants a different business perspective. But in the Regents' haste to respond to the needs of all UW System schools through the Wisconsin Idea Partnership, they simultaneously handicap UW-Madison.
The whole point of the New Badger Partnership is to allow Wisconsin's flagship campus to deal with drastic budget cuts in a manner specific to Madison. Because UW-Madison is absorbing half of the cuts allocated to the entire UW System—$125 million—it deserves priority. Martin argues that the WIP isn't tailored to the financial needs of a major research institution. And she is right.
Giving UW-Madison the same regulations as UW-Stout is not financially viable. As Martin pointed out in her e-mail, ""we have no reason to believe [the Wisconsin Idea Partnership] will offer the far-reaching change in operations that we need if we are to remain a world-class research institution,"" and a thriving UW-Madison will contribute to a flourishing economy across the state.
Martin's New Badger Partnership is a practical solution to the major cuts to UW-Madison and it's important the partnership goes through as planned. But the fact that the NBP created such a whirlwind of opposition is no one's fault but Martin's. If her initial campaign had allowed for more discussion over the university's separation, the hurdles the chancellor now faces against the partnership would be less concentrated. But as state funding continues to get thin, Martin's challengers are beginning to grow strong and it is up to her to win the support of not only UW-Madison's sister schools, but the state of Wisconsin as a whole.
Sam Witthuhn is a junior majoring journalism and political science. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
