Board of Regents
The Board of Regents unanimously approved an updated admissions policy under which academic qualifications will remain the most important factor in admissions to all UW System campuses, but nonacademic factors will be examined more closely in student applications; UW System President Kevin Reilly said the university has always considered more than just academic factors when making admissions decisions, and that the updated policy would not be a radical departure.
Related: "Regents to revise admissions," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 9.
Also: "Regents: Use race in admissions," Capital Times, Feb. 9.
Also: "UW: Admissions plan legal despite state laws barring use of race," Associated Press, Feb. 9.
UW System officials said updated admissions policies will enable campuses to create more diverse environments and add value to the educational experience of all students.
Related: "U. of Wisconsin regents adopt systemwide admissions policy calling for consideration of race," Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 12. (subscription only)
"The race over race," Here and Now, Wisconsin Public Television, Feb. 10.
Rep. Stephen Nass and Regent President David Walsh discuss the UW System's admissions policy.
Watch: http://www.wpt.org/he.../index.cfm?did=26220 (segment starts at 7:52)
Board of Regents President David Walsh rejected Wisconsin State Sen. Glen Grothman's suggestion that changes to the university's admissions policies not include those of Hispanic or Latino/a origin, saying the UW System will not pick and choose which groups are to be included in its efforts to increase campus diversity.
Related: "Holistic admissions policy rooted in racism," Column, Daily Cardinal, Feb. 12.
Listen: http://www.wrn.com/po...3/nassuwva021007.mp3
In an annual UW-Madison update to the Board of Regents, UW-Madison Provost Patrick Farrell said faculty are often tempted to leave the campus, despite its sterling academic reputation, because of higher salary offers elsewhere.
On Campus
UW Colleges and UW-Extension Chancellor David Wilson laid out a plan to use resources from both institutions to keep higher education accessible for Wisconsin residents; the proposal includes adding more online and accelerated courses and taking steps to keep tuition affordable.
Column: "Expanding public's access to UW," Column, Wisconsin State Journal, Feb. 9.
UW-Sheboygan continues to make the necessary adjustments, including offering more collaborative four-year degree programs, to serve the higher education needs of the region.
The UW System Board of Regents approved a salary increase for UW-Madison football head coach Bret Bielema after his first season as head coach, in which he led the team to a nearly undefeated season and a win in the Capital One Bowl.
"A deafening silence," Editorial, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 8.
An editorial chastising the UW System for what some see as a lack of attention regarding the future of UW-Waukesha.
Student-athletes at UW-Stout will be subject to random drug testing through an NCAA program.
A UW-La Crosse student writes that the campus should take the first steps to becoming a smoke-free campus by designating specific areas where smokers may congregate.
UW-Madison's Innovation Days provides students the opportunity to invent, design and build original prototypes, some of which have gone on to generate success for the inventors later in life.
UW Colleges and UW-Extension Chancellor David Wilson will name a permanent dean for UW-Baraboo/Sauk County after four finalists complete interviews, college and community tours.
UW-Stevens Point's renovation of the campus's Dreyfus University Center is expected to be complete by October.
A UW-Stout graphics arts professor said students working on designs for United Way campaign posters were more committed to the project because it benefited the community around them.
State
Gov. Jim Doyle said he will propose offering state health benefits for domestic partners of UW and state employees, a practice that has become common in several state governments and private businesses, including several of Wisconsin's largest employers.
Gov. Jim Doyle announced a plan to increase UW-Milwaukee's research budget by at least $8 million in an effort to spur economic development in southeast Wisconsin.
An editorial stating that a tuition reciprocity agreement between Wisconsin and Minnesota is fair, and suggesting that Minnesota officials could improve how that state has implemented the agreement.
Related: "Reciprocity disagreement could hurt Twin Ports students," Superior Daily Telegram, Feb. 10.
An editorial favoring further expansion of Gov. Jim Doyle's multi-pronged plan to increase entrepreneurial activity in Wisconsin; the plan currently includes offering state aid for the creation of a Wisconsin Venture Center, which this piece suggests should be built near UW-Madison.
More than 100 students and parents in 16 locations around Wisconsin attended "College Goal Sunday," which advises students from lower-income families and from traditionally underrepresented minority groups about the college and financial aid application process.
National
Observers say the University of Phoenix has eroded academic quality by putting profits first in its business as a private, for-profit university that primarily serves working adults.
