Gov. Scott Walker’s Education Policy Assistant Michael Brickman met with student leaders Monday to discuss the implications of the recently released state biennial budget, which granted the University of WIsconsin System $181 million in new investments.
In an Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs meeting, Brickman highlighted Walker’s goals for the UW System, which include financial flexibility and incentives-based funding for innovative UW projects.
However, student leaders expressed concerns that the governor’s budget did not include more need-based financial aid and a tuition cap to limit tuition increases.
Brickman said affordability is important to the governor but one potential negative of a tuition cap is that it could be seen as a standard amount to increase tuition by every year. Instead, he emphasized that allowing the university more flexibility in deciding where funding goes will hopefully increase efficiency and prevent tuition from rising too much.
“We’re giving the university system … some of the flexibilities they were requesting,” Brickman said. “If they get the flexibilities we’re giving, they can help keep the cost down.”
Legislative Affairs Chair Dan Statter said the committee will continue to lobby to keep tuition affordable.
“UW having more flexibility is good for UW, but that doesn’t help a student, and ultimately, we are all here because of the students,” Statter said.
Brickman also said that $90 million would go to Wisconsin universities to be used as a flexible funding option for the creation of new programs, the improvement of existing ones and awards to top faculty and staff based on their performance.
