Gov. Tony Evers proposed an over $856 million investment in higher education, the largest two-year increase in state funding for the University of Wisconsin System in state history, during his 2025 budget address Tuesday.
Evers declared 2025 “The Year of the Kid” during his seventh State of the State address in January, calling for a significant investment in education for Wisconsin’s kids from preschool to college. Ahead of Evers’ budget address, he described his biennial budget proposal as the “most pro-kid budget in state history.”
“Politicians in Washington don’t know a darn thing about what’s going on at campuses across Wisconsin. They don’t understand that our UW System has been part of Wisconsin since we first became a state — it’s enshrined in our state constitution,” Evers said. “They don’t know how important our UW System has been to our state’s success or how important it is for our future.”
With the Trump administration's federal efforts to cut higher education budgets, Evers said “UW could get a whole lot worse.”
UW System has faced multiple campus closings, tuition increases and staff layoffs, and Evers said he aims to protect the system with his budget proposal.
“[Wisconsin’s] ability to compete and be successful — to have a strong economy and workforce, to retain our homegrown talent, to solve problems in our smallest towns, to our largest cities and to make life better for everyone who calls our state home — depends on our UW System,” Evers said. “It’s up to us — each of us, together—to invest in our UW System, to defend it, and to protect its promise for future generations.”
Republican lawmakers, who control the state Legislature and the budget-writing process, have pledged to throw out the governor’s proposed spending plan and write their own.
“We are not going to let Wisconsin become Tim Walz’s Minnesota," Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said after the governor's address, adding that Evers’ spending proposals are "dead on arrival.”
And with the National Institute of Health’s looming decision to cap indirect cost rates to 15% for all new and current grants, major research institutions like the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose rate ranges from 26% to 55.5%, could suffer if the state doesn’t increase funding to address the shortfall.
Without additional funding from the state, UW-Madison would need to increase tuition to cover the potential annual $65 million loss if a federal decision cutting research funding is implemented.
Vos told The Daily Cardinal on Feb. 12 that “it would be impossible for the state [of Wisconsin] to replace federal funding,” citing the need to maintain a balanced budget.
Higher education officials applaud Evers’ budget proposal
Nearly 90% of in-state UW System graduates stay in Wisconsin five years after earning a degree from one of Wisconsin’s 13 public universities. By investing in higher education, UW System President Jay Rothman said in a statement Tuesday that Evers’ proposal demonstrates a “desire to win the war for talent.”
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a statement Tuesday that with Wisconsin currently ranked 43rd out of 50 states in state support for four-year higher education, the governor’s call for a significant increase in state funding will bolster Wisconsin’s economy and expand opportunities for Wisconsinites.
“The governor’s proposal would put that unflattering and uncompetitive ranking behind us while bringing Wisconsin to the national median. With it, the UWs have targeted investments on affordability, access, innovation and talent development that will ensure Wisconsin is ready for a brighter future,” Rothman added.
Additionally, Mnookin said an increase in state funding is especially important as the nation faces “tremendous uncertainty” and risks to federal funding under President Donald Trump’s administration. Federal funding accounts for roughly a quarter of UW-Madison’s total budget.
In addition to increased UW System funding, Evers' proposal included nearly $60 million to support the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) to invest in green jobs, the state’s health care workforce and worker training for artificial intelligence.
The additional funding would allow WTCS to meet the demand of employers for different industries, bring more people into the system and better support students, policy advisor Megan Strichko said at a news briefing Jan. 30.
Wisconsin’s technical colleges, made up of 16 schools with over 50 campuses, cover every corner of the state and serve 287,000 Wisconsinites every year. Their goal is to serve community needs by offering education and skills training to keep up with the current demands of the workplace.
While the technical college system, along with UW System and public K-12 schools, requested an increase in funding from the state, it is unclear if an increase in funding for all three will make the final cut.
Anna Kleiber is the state news editor for The Daily Cardinal. She previously served as the arts editor. Anna has written in-depth on elections, legislative maps and campus news. She has interned with WisPolitics and Madison Magazine. Follow her on Twitter at @annakleiber03.
