UW System Clipsheet

"UW will do more with less," Column, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 13.

As President-elect Obama acknowledged in his election night speech, our country is facing some of the greatest financial challenges in our lifetimes. The next Congress will make difficult decisions about where to invest and where to cut. Leaders in Wisconsin face similarly vexing questions, as Gov. Jim Doyle expects a $5.4 billion shortfall for the upcoming two-year budget cycle. The simple reality: We're all going to have to do more with less...(Author: UW System President Kevin P. Reilly)...

"University of Wisconsin System faces crisis in keeping professors' pay raises competitive," Stevens Point Journal, Dec. 5.

The faculty salary situation within the University of Wisconsin System has been deteriorating for some time. For years, as competing states have pumped more money into salaries, the UW System has continued with 1 percent and 2 percent raises to starting salaries that are already lower than that of rivals. Every budget, the Board of Regents recommends a larger raise to try to bring Wisconsin in line, or at least closer, to its peers...

"UW-P engineers growth, marks milestone," Telegraph Herald, Dec. 14.

With a snap of an oversized pair of stainless steel, specialized scissors, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville officially unveiled its new engineering building at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday...(Gov. Jim) Doyle was the featured speaker at the event that attracted more than 150 people who celebrated the inauguration of the $25.6 million, 108,500-square-foot building...

"At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, cooperation equals graduation," Wisconsin State Journal, Dec. 13.

It's happening all over the UW-Madison campus: Teams of sharply dressed students are showing up, often bearing PowerPoint presentations, to impress their professors and classmates with plans to save businesses, build potentially patentable devices and more. These team projects supplement, and sometimes replace, final exams, which begin Sunday at UW-Madison. And they represent a profound shift in how students learn and are graded at the state's flagship university...

"UW graduate program teaches business of biotech," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 13.

In a small office in Madison's University Research Park, a three-person staff is running an innovative graduate program aimed at bolstering the state's growing biotechnology sector. The 5-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison program says it turns out well-rounded biotech company leaders and tries to keep many of them in Wisconsin...

"Targeting the good cell," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 14.

In the summer of 2007, University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell pioneer James Thomson and dozens of scientists around the globe raced to turn back the clock and send mature human cells back to their embryonic origin. At stake was a new kind of medicine that could bring hope to millions...

"Local college endowments are holding their own," Journal Times, Dec. 14.

...The University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s $3.5 million endowment, administered through the UW-Parkside Foundation, is down about 11 percent in its value this year through the end of November, said Lenny Klaver, vice chancellor for university relations and advancement. UW-Parkside isn’t making any changes yet in its scholarship offers or programs, he said, but officials are watching the picture closely. More information is expected in January when UW-Parkside’s fourth-quarter investment results are released...

"UW-L graduates search for work in a tough job market," WKBT-TV, Dec. 13.

...Whether they're a political science major, an art major or a teaching major, the December graduates at UW-L are entering the workforce during a time when it's hard to find a job. Most say they are trying to stay positive but with both recent grads and veteran workers looking for work, finding a job can be tough...

"Some UW students face bleak job prospects," WISC-TV, Dec. 15.

As the University of Wisconsin-Madison's fall commencement nears, many graduates will be entering an unstable workforce in a slumping economy...

"Schools face cuts," Chemical & Engineering News, Dec. 15.

As the U.S. economic recession takes hold, public and private universities alike are facing budget cuts forced by state revenue shortfalls and declining endowment values. In response, chemistry departments are freezing hiring and trimming budgets for seminars and equipment; they also may have to reduce graduate student enrollment...The University of Wisconsin, Madison, is looking at a cut of 10–15% for 2009...

"U Wisconsin campus to roll out 14,000 notebooks to students," Campus Technology, Dec. 12.

The University of Wisconsin-Stout is gearing up to deploy 14,000 notebook computers to students over the next four years. UW-Stout has contracted with HP to supply the machines, which will be delivered to students at a rate of about 3,500 per year based on enrollment forecasts...

"UW-Stout grads urged to embrace change, take risks," Leader-Telegram, Dec. 13.

UW-Stout Chancellor Charles Sorenson challenged the December graduation class to embrace the power of change, in his commencement address Saturday...

"Stakes high in local elections, too," Editorial, Wisconsin State Journal, Dec. 13.

UW-Madison students turned out in huge numbers for last month's presidential election. Yet only 6 percent of students took the time to vote on a plan to build a new campus student center two years ago...

"College students using ADHD drugs to study for exams," WISC-TV, Dec. 15.

It's final exam week for thousands of University of Wisconsin students on campus. For years, some students have quietly taken drugs like Ritalin and Adderall to help them focus and prepare for exams...Some college students said it's no secret that students use the medicines and get them illegally...

Watch: http://www.c3ktogo.com/news-video/?mgid=20081

"Message gets through," NBC15-TV, Dec. 12.

An emergency test reveals UW Police now have it figured out after a system that could save lives was failing for too many people. But they are facing a different challenge. Instant information in the palm of your hand is a pretty valuable tool but it doesn't do much good if the message isn't getting through and the message can't get through if the students don't sign up...

Watch: http://video.nbc15.ma...ne=info&rnd=27499016

"Doyle: Double state job cuts if no federal aid," Wisconsin State Journal, Dec. 14.

Wisconsin's projected $5.4 billion budget shortfall would at least double the number of unfilled state jobs if Wisconsin doesn't get financial help from Washington, Gov. Jim Doyle told federal lawmakers last week...

"Cut state deficit down to size," Editorial, Wisconsin State Journal, Dec. 13.

Wisconsin's projected budget deficit is actually a large but manageable $1.25 billion -- not the frightening $5.4 billion that has caused consternation at the Capitol and around the state. That conclusion offers a useful, attitude-adjusting way for Gov. Jim Doyle, state lawmakers and taxpayers to approach the 2009-2011 budget...

"Wis. health care job market remains bright prospect," Marshfield News-Herald, Dec. 14.

Despite a struggling economy, Wisconsin college graduates and dislocated workers could find strong career prospects in health care next year and beyond, according to state data...

"More colleges cater to transfers," Associated Press, Dec. 13.

...With more students opting to start their higher education at affordable community colleges and the stagnant economy sending even more late-blooming learners back to school, campus administrators find that catering to transfers and other nontraditional students makes sense...

"Starting over, with a second career goal of changing society," New York Times, Dec. 12.

Harvard kicked off a small but ambitious experiment this week that it hopes will become a new “third stage” of university education. For the student-fellows in the program, most in their 50s and early 60s, the goal is a second-act career in a new stage of life...

"Colleges give new aid to keep students afloat," Chicago Tribune, Dec. 15.

...Colleges and universities across the region are trying to help students stay in school, offering additional financial aid, increasing wages for work-study jobs and even lowering tuition...Most of the colleges making the various kinds of emergency efforts are smaller, private schools. A spokesman for the University of Illinois system said the state universities are themselves strapped for cash...

"Tight state budgets are top concern for higher-education lobbyists," Chronicle of Higher Education, Dec. 15.

Some 170 lobbyists for public colleges and universities met here last week to prepare for upcoming state legislative sessions and to discuss how to protect their institutions from severe budget cuts in a nationwide economic crisis. The Higher Education Government Relations Conference, "Making the Case," featured several sessions on how to frame higher education's economic-development mission favorably for the public as well as state lawmakers... (paid subscription required)

"Bush's legacy in higher education: A matter of debate," Chronicle of Higher Education, Dec. 15.

President Bush is leaving the White House with a mixed record on higher education. His administration catapulted conversations about holding colleges more accountable for their performance into the national spotlight, and it pressed for some increases in federal spending on student aid and research. At the same time, Mr. Bush faced criticism from many scientists in academe, who said the president's decisions about science were too heavily influenced by politics. Federal auditors, meanwhile, criticized his Education Department for being too lax in its oversight of student lenders... (paid subscription required)