UW System Clipsheet

"State's request for more cuts to affect UW," Daily Cardinal, Nov. 20.

With a deeper projected budget deficit for the 2009-11 biennium, the Department of Administration has called for even further spending cuts from state agencies, including the University of Wisconsin System...The DOA sent a memo to state agencies asking them to make cuts beyond the 10 percent reductions they were initially asked to make after Doyle’s first budget deficit projection...According to Mike Mikalsen, spokesperson for state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, the DOA is now looking for a 15-20 percent spending cut from state agencies. He said the UW System will have to resort to serious tuition increases...

"University Square development still underway," WISC-TV, Nov. 19.

Those driving downtown on University Avenue or Johnson Street have noticed little old University Square has undergone quite a makeover--from a humble one-story mini-mall--to a massive, 1.1 million-square-foot facility. Despite some difficulties renting commercial space in the new University Square facility, developers say the trouble on Wall Street hasn't made its way down University Avenue just yet...

"Rolf Wegenke: Boost aid to Wisconsin college students," Column, Capital Times, Nov. 20.

Despite the economic hard times that are affecting private colleges and universities just like every other part of our nation, the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is not seeking taxpayer support for our members. Instead, WAICU hopes that Gov. Jim Doyle and the Legislature will consider increasing financial aid for all Wisconsin college students. Here are some reasons...(Letter to editor by Rolf Wegenke, president of Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities)...

"Nearly 10% of public records requests wrongly denied, statewide audit finds," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 19.

Three in 10 requests made under the state's public records law were not properly fulfilled, according to a statewide audit released Wednesday by open records advocates. In 30 cases - nearly 10% - requests for simple records were denied or ignored, according to the audit by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication...

"MATC-Fort Atkinson shows 10,000-square-foot addition, renovation," Capital Times, Nov. 19.

Madison Area Technical College-Fort Atkinson held a reception Wednesday to showcase its new 10,000-square-foot addition and extensive renovation. Community individuals and organizations donated more than $500,000 to make the $2.3 million project a reality. The new facility will enable the college to eventually serve the learning needs of more than 1,000 additional students...

"Budget cuts tough for state agencies," Associated Press, Nov. 19.

At least three Wisconsin state agencies say they can't meet Gov. Jim Doyle's orders to come up with plans to cut spending by 10 percent, an ominous sign of the tough budget-balancing task ahead. Secretary of State Doug La Follette said a 10 percent cut is "simply impossible," in a letter sent to Doyle's budget director. Railroad Commission Secretary Roger Breske said such a cut would reduce his office to a "dog-and-pony show." And the state Board on Aging and Long Term Care said meeting the governor's order to cut "makes no sense"...

"Athletes' academic choices put advisers in tough balancing act," USA Today, Nov. 20.

...Academic advisers for athletes face complex, pressure-filled jobs that have become more so in recent years as the NCAA eased rules on freshman eligibility while ratcheting up requirements for minimum progress toward a degree. The result is it is easier for an athlete to get into school — but harder to stay in...

"Financial aid crisis," NBC-15, Nov. 19.

Leaving home and going off to college used to be an exciting time in a teen's life. But more and more, students have to put aside that excitement to worry about the cost of attending college...

Watch: http://video.nbc15.ma...ne=info&rnd=28416670

"College students struggle on history test," USA Today, Nov. 19.

Students don't know much about history, and colleges aren't adding enough to their civic literacy, says a report out today. The study from the non-profit Intercollegiate Studies Institute shows that less than half of college seniors knew that Yorktown was the battle that ended the American Revolution or that NATO was formed to resist Soviet expansion. Overall, freshmen averaged 50.4% on a wide-ranging civic literacy test; seniors averaged 54.2%, both failing scores if translated to grades...

"JuicyCampus is blocked on 2 campuses, and Gossipers on another face a lawsuit," Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 20.

Citing concerns about student safety, Tennessee State University last week began blocking the gossip Web site JuicyCampus from its campus network, and appears to be the first public college or university to do so...JuicyCampus has stirred controversy across the country as it continues to expand to new campuses (it has now set up discussion forums for 500 institutions, though the site has no affiliations with the colleges)...

"College closings rare, but could rise in downturn," Associated Press, Nov. 17.

...Colleges are remarkably resilient institutions. Princeton University's Nassau Hall still bears the cannonball marks from the Revolutionary War battle that raged near campus. Dickinson and Bowdoin colleges saw their first buildings burn down, as did the University of Vermont, which also survived its first president going insane. Still, every year, a handful of institutions go under. And while a wave of college closings is unlikely, the current economic turmoil could accelerate the pace...