Government Relations

Legislative Update

October 17, 2008

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In this issue:

STATE UPDATE

In The News

► UW Institution RSS Feeds
Many UW Institutions are now using RSS feeds to broadcast news updates on their websites.  To subscribe to one of these feeds, please visit the links below: 

If your campus RSS feed was not listed, please send the web address to externalrelations@uwsa.edu and it will be included in an upcoming edition of the UW System Legislative Update.

► Governor Announces Wisconsin Genomics Initiative
On October 10th, Governor Doyle announced the Wisconsin Genomics Initiative, a collaboration between the Marshfield Clinic, UW-Madison, the Medical College of Wisconsin and UW-Milwaukee to study the human genome.  Also attending the press conference were National Institutes of Health Director Elias A. Zerhouni and Congressman Dave Obey.  Read over in the Governor’s press release, news coverage by the Associated Press and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and commentary by the Wisconsin Technology Council.

► ACE Releases “Minorities in Higher Education 2008”
This past week, the American Council on Education released its 23rd annual status report on the diversification of American colleges and universities.  Notably, the report highlights that within certain minority groups, the current generation may not attain higher levels of education than the previous generations.  Additionally, the report noted that across racial and ethnic groups, women are achieving a higher level of education than men.  Read the story in Inside Higher Ed.

► Wisconsin Technology Network News:  How can Wisconsin Attract and Retain More Grads?
In a column this past week, Tom Still, President of the Wisconsin Technology Council, notes that Wisconsin is in the bottom 10 states for net migration of people with bachelor's degrees.  Read the column in the Wisconsin Technology Network News.

State Legislation Update

DOA ReleasesState’s 2008 Annual Fiscal Report. See Report.  For the fiscal year ending July 30, 2008, the report shows a fairly healthy picture with an ending balance of $130.7 million. However, state revenue collections are now showing a significant decline in the second half of 2008.

Governor Discusses State’s Budget Outlook. With state tax collections falling, Governor Doyle says the state’s budget deficit could reach $3 billion if the national economic recession continues. See news coverage by the Milwaukee Sentinel Journal and Associated Press.

FEDERAL UPDATE

► Obey Delivers UW Law School Kastenmeier Lecture
Congressman Dave Obey delivered the annual Robert W. Kastenmeier Lecture at the UW Law School on October 13th.  In his address, Congressman Obey discussed the current financial crisis and the political causes of economic inequality.  Read the coverage in The Daily Cardinal.

► NIH Announces New Policy on Amended Grant Applications
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced last week that beginning in early 2009, NIH will be decreasing the number of allowed grant application resubmissions (amendments) from two to one.  The goal is to increase earlier funding of high-quality applications and improve system efficiency.  The NIH press release and public notice are available online.

► Oversight Hearing on G.I. Bill Implementation
Last month, the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs held a follow-up hearing on the implementation of the G.I. Bill.  The member statements and prepared witness testimony presented at the hearing can be found on the committee website.

AROUND WISCONSIN

► “Around Wisconsin” features items relating to exciting progress on campus or examples of strong relations with the community and policy makers. Please send items of interest to externalrelations@uwsa.edu.

  • UW System: The Grants Administrators Annual Meeting was held on Oct. 16-17 at UW-Madison’s School of Business.  The meeting included a special panel entitled "Growing and Sustaining Academic Research and Development Support" at the UW System campuses. Panelists included Kathleen Enz Finken, Provost at UW-La Crosse; Professors Tim Lyden, UW-River Falls, Jim Hamilton, UW-Platteville, and Mike Zach, UW-Stevens Point, and several of their students.  The panel spoke to UW System administrators, faculty and students about how to complement research and development efforts that are taking place on our campuses, foster that innovation and economic activity.  Further information from that event will be shared in the next Legislative Update.
  • UW-Whitewater: UW-Whitewater and Forward Janesville have created a partnership to provide services and support for the workers displaced and small businesses affected by the GM plant closing.
  • UW-River Falls:  Faculty members received a grant from the national education organization Phi Delta Kappa to assist in the development of an early childhood daycare center in Nairobi, Kenya.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Oct  
17 UW-Green Bay will host a debate/forum of 88th Assembly district candidates
21 UW-Stout hosts a candidate forum for the10th Senate & 29th Assembly districts
21 UW-La Crosse will host a debate/forum of 32nd Senate district candidates
21 UW-Green Bay hosts a candidate forum for the 8th Congressional district
22 Legislative Council’s Special Committee on Building Wisconsin’s Workforce meeting
24 UW-Marinette hosts candidate forum for 36th & 89th Assembly districts
28 UW-La Crosse hosts a candidate forum for the 3rd Congressional districts
28 UW-Oshkosh & Oshkosh Chamber hosts a candidate forum for the 18th State Senate district
29 UW-Oshkosh & Oshkosh Chamber hosts a candidate forum for the 53rd Assembly district
30 UW-Oshkosh & Oshkosh Chamber hosts a candidate forum for the 54th Assembly district
31

UW-Marinette hosts candidate forum for the 8th Congressional district & 30th Senate district
Nov  
6 Board of Regents meeting in Madison
12-13 Synergy Conference 08 hosted by UW-River Falls
20-21 UW System Office of Academic Affairs and the UW System Advisory Group on the Liberal Arts co-sponsor Liberal Education: a Unifying Mission for the 21st Century University, a system-wide conference at the Pyle Center in Madison.
Dec  
4-5 Board of Regents meeting hosted by UW-La Crosse
Feb 2009  
5-6 Board of Regents meeting in Madison
Mar 2009  
5 Board of Regents meeting in Madison
6 NSF Regional Grants Conference in Milwaukee, hosted by UW-Milwaukee and the UW System Office of Federal Relations.  NSF representatives will present information on Foundation, the review process, and cross-disciplinary and international programs.  There will also be breakout sessions with program officers from the NSF directorates and a session on proposal writing.
April 2009  
TBD UW System Administration hosts Posters in the Rotunda: A Celebration of Undergraduate Research at the Wisconsin State Capitol.

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