The UW System Board of Regents stressed the importance of higher education’s role in economic recovery on the state level at their meeting Thursday. University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly showcased the core goals of the UW System’s Growth Agenda plan for economic recovery and renewal, which includes generating more jobs and more graduates...

The Blugold Commitment, which will increase tuition at UW-Eau Claire by an additional $1,200 over four years, was approved Friday morning by the UW System Board of Regents by a vote of 14-2. Up to 40 percent of the new money will be used for financial aid. The rest will be used to hire up to 50 additional faculty and offer more "high-impact" learning experiences such as student-faculty research...

Some of the state's public two-year colleges may offer four-year degrees as early as next year, under a plan approved Wednesday by the UW System. The plan would have up to six of the thirteen UW Colleges’ campuses offer a four-year, bachelor of applied arts and sciences degree on a pilot basis...

University of Wisconsin System regents have approved a four-year, $1,200 tuition increase for UW-Eau Claire students despite a lack of details on how the money will be used. The regents voted 14-2 today to approve the plan known as the Blugold commitment, which will raise tuition by $300 for each of the next four school years on top of any statewide increases...

Tuition would spike by $1,200 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the next four years under a proposal that cleared a key hurdle Thursday. A UW System Board of Regents committee approved the plan, known as the Blugold Commitment, despite concerns about a lack of specifics and the student body being divided over the proposal. The full regents board, which governs the UW System of 13 four-year universities and 13 two-year colleges, may give final approval Friday...

The UW Board of Regents approved a tuition increase at UW-Eau Claire of $1,200 over the next four years...

Owners of a popular downtown bar that is slated to be demolished to make way for a University of Wisconsin-Madison expansion are not giving up their fight against the university...

The state auditor is warning that the University of Wisconsin System's aging payroll program could be compromised because of weak financial controls...Mueller made the comments Thursday to the Board of Regents as she presented her independent review of the UW System's annual financial report. University System officials are acknowledging the risks, but say they are relatively limited and will last for only a few more years...

The University of Wisconsin payroll system could be compromised because of weak financial controls, according to a state audit...

UW system President Kevin Reilly presented his new initiative to improve faculty compensation at a Board of Regents meeting Thursday. Reilly said UW System staff salaries and benefits lag behind those of their peers more now than before the recession hit. Consequently, Reilly is forming a commission to take a closer look at compensation issues. The Competitive Workforce Commission will identify problem areas and recommend actions to help close the gap...

The University of Wisconsin System is trying to make it easier for campuses to suspend or eliminate unpopular academic programs. A UW System review identified programs that are graduating relatively few students and are offered elsewhere within the system. The review suggested some of the programs could be eliminated or merged to save money...

The University of Wisconsin system is trying to make it easier for campuses to suspend or eliminate unpopular programs...

Poultry science is only offered at UW-Madison. Students can only study golf management at UW-Stout. A new report, which will be presented before the UW Board of Regents today, took stock of the array of programs offered at campuses within the University of Wisconsin System. The report was in response to the tough budget climate, in order to give campuses information to eliminate or suspend programs that may be redundant or no longer relevant. The option to suspend programs is new for campuses...

UW-River Falls took in a record $2.4 million in donations last year, adding to The Fund for UW-River Falls. The Fund is an unrestricted fund used to support the mission of the University, which is to help students learn. According to the University Web site, the unrestricted fund allows the UW-River Falls Foundation the flexibility to apply funds immediately to areas of greatest need, including faculty and student research grants, curriculum and technology upgrades, and supporting the admissions program to recruit a diverse group of outstanding students to campus...

Whitewater businessman and First Citizens State Bank president Jim Caldwell and his wife, Julie, donated 23 parcels of land valued at $1 million to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Foundation that will be used for new housing development for faculty and staff on the city’s northwest side...

Businesses that sell fake college diplomas would be punished under a plan being considered by Assembly lawmakers. Former University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor John Wiley was among those who testified at a capitol hearing in favor of the proposal...

Urban farmer Will Allen of Growing Power from Milwaukee will be in Fond du Lac on Tuesday, Feb. 16, to speak on "Growing Food and Community in the City." Presentations will be held at noon in Room UC-114 at the University of Wisconsin-Fond du Lac and at 7 p.m. in the Stayer Center at Marian University. Allen is an internationally known urban farmer and food sustainability advocate. In 2008, he was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship, which provided a $500,000 grant to develop urban agricultural techniques. Urban agricultural brings jobs, healthy food and healthy land use to low-income, inner-city communities...

But, for UW-L student Erik Kahl, Bunche [Ecuador] has left an impression — not the appearance of the remote place, but the 500 people who live there. “They are like family to me,” he said. Kahl has been to Bunche four times since summer 2007. He initially went to study Spanish, later to teach English and then to figure out how to form a service trip through his university to the community...

UW-Stout is one step closer to have a healthier campus. Step It Stout is beginning its second year and the wellness program has hit the ground walking...

UW-Stout students dig through garbage, hoping what they find will make a difference. Students sorted through their trash Wednesday afternoon, looking for things that could have been recycled. It's part of a nationwide ten-week challenge among colleges called RecycleMania. Wednesday's goal was to reduce the amount of waste the campus produces...

A University of Wisconsin Systems virtual student union has launched a trial run, offering students studying sustainable management online at various system schools a place to foster communities with fellow students...

Trial is expected to begin Monday in a lawsuit brought by a former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater dean who claims he was unfairly audited and demoted...

Despite the challenging economic times, Chancellor Biddy Martin said UW-Madison is not considering eliminating any fields of study as a cost-cutting measure...

With the 2010 elections looming and unemployment showing no signs of easing, there's one thing politicians of all stripes agree on: Voters want action on the jobs front...To keep the momentum going, a bipartisan group of legislators, along with Gov. Doyle, is touting the CORE Jobs Act (CORE stands for Connecting Opportunity, Research and Entrepreneurship)...The CORE Jobs Act also seeks to establish tech centers at smaller UW System campuses and help entrepreneurs across the state...

Public schools in Wisconsin are being urged to infuse entrepreneurial skills into the pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade curriculum. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers on Thursday released a plan, "Wisconsin's Vision for Entrepreneurship" to schools and districts interested in beginning or enhancing entrepreneurship education...

Four months ago, it appeared all but certain that the White House and Democrats in Congress would succeed in overhauling the student loan business and ending government subsidies to private lenders...