The Legislative Council Study Committee on the future of the University of Wisconsin System met for the fifth and final time, as a committee, Oct. 24 at the Capitol to discuss and vote on 19 recommendations, including a proposal for the UW-Madison to separate from the UW System.
The proposed recommendation would include creating a new Board of Regents to oversee UW-Madison, while another would oversee the other 12 UW System campuses, according to the meeting minutes. A new state fund to provide general purpose revenue (GPR) would be created specifically for UW-Madison.
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and UW System President Jay Rothman oppose the idea.
Members discussed other proposals, including revisions to current Board of Regents membership and allowing bonding authority for campuses. Bonding authority would allow UW System campuses to take out loans to build without approval from the Legislature.
Committee members voted on paper ballots, and approved recommendations will be compiled into a final report and submitted to the Joint Legislative Council. The council is made up of two Democratic and two Republican lawmakers and 14 other stakeholders.
The UW System, which includes 13 universities and over 162,000 students, is dealing with budget shortfalls, with only UW-La Crosse and UW-Madison ending the 2023 fiscal year without a deficit. Declining enrollment is also of concern for lawmakers.
The UW System currently ranks 43rd in the nation for higher education funding despite a state budget surplus. The Board of Regents and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers recently proposed an $855 million increase in funding for the next biennial budget, the largest in the UW System’s history. The budget will go to the state Legislature for approval in the next session.
Although enrollment has been decreasing at some UW System schools, the system as a whole saw a 1.2% increase over the last year. Branch campuses, several of which have been closed recently, suffered a 22% decrease in enrollment.
“We all want the UW System to survive and thrive in the future, but it can’t be at the expense of the taxpayer,” said committee chair Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie. “It has to be value added for the entire state.”
Robert Venable, President and CEO of the Miami Corporation Management and committee member, said “students and citizens deserve” for the state Legislature to get ahead of the problems the UW System is facing.
Another recommendation suggested increasing tuition to help address economic difficulties for the system.
Ananth Seshadri, a professor of economics at UW-Madison, said that when tuition at UW System schools is much lower than University of Minnesota schools, “the ability of wealthier parents to cross-subsidize poorer counterparts is just non-existent.” Wisconsin and Minnesota residents pay in-state tuition at each state’s universities.
Changes to the UW System’s structure will require legislative approval in the next session.
Drew Wesson is a staff writer and photographer for The Daily Cardinal. He has written stories covering public safety, protests, political events and more. You can follow him on Twitter @drewwesson1.
