Gov. Scott Walker spoke to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents Thursday concerning the need to fill degree-requiring positions in the state.
Walker emphasized the importance of forming partnerships among the state and higher learning institutes, particularly at UW System campuses. Walker also said employers are looking to fill higher positions.
“I know that one of the big issues we hear about time and time again is not just whether we can create more jobs in the state, but whether we can fill them,” Walker said.
According to Walker, approximately 20-25 percent of the adult population in the state has some college credit but not a full degree. The growing need to fill positions in engineering, information technology and health care has created more opportunities for students.
“This is one of those areas where the University of Wisconsin is stepping up and being even more relevant than ever, in this case, particularly for adults and nontraditional learners,” Walker said.
Walker also said University of Wisconsin campuses are some of the leading catalysts for economic growth and prosperity within the region and the state.
“This isn’t a call to arms, this is a call to continue to build off of that strong partnership and that leadership that we see, not only from regions here, but … from individual campuses all across the state,” Walker said.
Walker also expressed excitement for the UW System Flexible Option Degree Program, which helps adult students receive nontraditional credit.
“It has been fun to watch in the last year all the national attention that this Flex Options received, being the first public institution to pursue such a bold and relevant idea for learners, particularly for the adult learners here in the state of Wisconsin.”
Walker said he also wants to expand educational aid beyond two- and four-year degrees. He specifically referenced the additional resources allocated to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health to facilitate training physicians, particularly primary care physicians in rural and urban areas with high poverty rates.
“We are going to continue making those sorts of investments in the future,” Walker said.
Business and Finance Committee approved and reviewed tuition distribution policy
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents Business and Finance Committee approved and reviewed the policy in which tuition and fee revenues are distributed throughout the UW System at a meeting Thursday.
Business and Finance Committee Chair Gerald Whitburn introduced the proposal, as suggested by UW System President Kevin Reilly, to approve the existing policy for which funds are distributed.
The policy was presented to the committee for approval on the condition that a new policy for allocation will be devised by June 2014.
“The regular procedures used to distribute these funds are not widely understood,” Whitburn said. “Our current procedures—in other words, the policies we have in front of us this morning—need to go through review.”
Current plans for pursuing a new policy include establishing a “workgroup” which will look for ways to adjust policies in place now and suggest a new policy to be implemented in the 2015-’16 fiscal year.
