Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thomspon told The Daily Cardinal during a Badger GOP event Monday he is worried the proposed University of Wisconsin System budget is unobtainable, but he said there could be “tremendous compromise” to get the right figure.
“We'll never have a great state without a great university. We got to fund it, we got to support it,” said Thompson, who served as interim UW System President from 2020 to 2022. “I think what is currently being asked for is completely out of sync with what is available.”
Current Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has proposed a $800 million increase to the UW System budget, which would be the largest increase in its history. As decreased enrollment has brought financial hardship to the whole system, Evers told the Board of Regents in October the budget increase is needed to prevent further layoffs or program suspensions.
Thompson is not the only Republican to oppose the increase. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told the Cardinal last September that the UW System “will never get another nickel out of the Legislature” without cuts to diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
In 2023, UW System leaders agreed to cap hiring for DEI positions for three years and restructure one third of those positions into general student success positions. In exchange, the system received $800 million for pay raises and building projects, such as the recently approved engineering building at UW-Madison.
During the Q&A,Thompson told one audience member that while he loves having different cultures on campus, education should be merit based.
“We have to realize that we have to have a strong education system. I think Wisconsin has that, but I do not believe that we have to compromise that educational system,” Thompson said. “If you base it on merit, everybody gets an equal chance.”
UW System has not considered race in its admissions process since the U.S. Supreme Court banned the practice in 2023.
Thompson also championed bipartisanship and compromise. Several times throughout the night, he told stories of his work with former President Bill Clinton and former Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Michael Dukakis.
Thompson said compromise on the UW System budget was needed, “but the compromise has got to be sitting down and talking.”
The proposed UW System budget is expected to be voted on in the coming months.
