FOCUS: Budget Impacts
In recent months, the University of Wisconsin System has worked
to manage the unprecedented $250 million cut it received in the
2003-05 state budget while managing its impact on the classroom
experience for UW students. While student instruction was partially
protected in the short-term, these budget cuts have forced negative
impacts elsewhere on campus that cannot be ignored.
As the state begins the 2005-07 budget process, this edition of
Wisconsin Ideas provides a "snapshot" look at
the many ways budget cuts to the university are affecting students,
faculty, staff and Wisconsin citizens.
* Read the 2003-05
Budget Outcomes Fact Sheet for more details about the cuts to
the university.
Are you feeling the effects of budget cuts on your campus? E-mail
wisconsinideas@uwsa.edu
to share your story.
ON CAMPUS
In the face of of multi-million dollar cuts to its budget and careful
management of shrinking resources, the University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire is struggling to provide current students with an excellent
education, says Chancellor Donald Mash. Maintaining that quality has
come at a price. By Judy Berthiaume.
Read more
For years, even decades, UW-Green Bay treated the message like a badge
of distinction: Come to school here and you will find the personal
touch that only a small campus can provide. After another round of
budget cuts—the deepest in UW-Green Bay’s 36-year history—the
university may have to fine-tune its message. By Scott Hildebrand.
Read more
Lost opportunities to build Wisconsin's economy. Lost time addressing
a crisis in education/workforce language skills. Lost teaching excellence
through the departure of a young faculty member. Those are some
of the more tangible setbacks at UW-River Falls after budget readjustments
and reductions. On a balance sheet, the reductions are numbers.
But they have a very human face. By Mark Kinders. Read
more
Related story: Deteriorating facilities
plague campus
Few in higher education would argue that quality education starts
with attracting and keeping talented faculty, and creating a personalized
learning environment for students. Ironically, at UW-Whitewater,
these two benchmarks of quality may be most sensitive to state budget
cuts. By Brian Mattmiller. Read more
SYSTEMWIDE
The UW System made great efforts to manage the $250 million in budget
cuts while minimizing the erosion of the quality for which the university
is known. But in the end, the negatives are far outweighing the positives.
Read more
The University of Wisconsin System’s latest accountability report
details progress the university has made over the past year in serving
students and the state but also highlights challenges related to decreased
state funding. "This report shows the tradeoffs our campuses
are making as budgets are cut. But many of the ways in which the current
budget crisis will impact our students have not yet been felt on our
campuses," says UW System President Katharine C. Lyall. Read
more
NATIONAL OUTLOOK
State leaders have a responsibility to reverse the slide in funding
for public colleges and universities, according to the National Center
for Public Policy and Higher Education. "Governors and legislators
are on the front line," the group has said. Read
more
A leading higher education expert and former UW chancellor says colleges
and universities must plan proactively to transform their institutions
in response to difficult economic times. Read more
OTHER SYSTEM NEWS
University of Wisconsin System President Katharine C. Lyall has announced
her plans to retire at the end of the academic year, marking the end
of one of the longest and most productive presidencies in the history
of the UW System. “It has been extremely exciting to lead the
world’s best university system and a great privilege to serve
the people of Wisconsin in that role,” Lyall said. Read
more |