University of Wisconsin Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf and Dean of Students Lori Berquam joined student leaders Wednesday to discuss the proposed strategic framework for the university, as well as the nearly $300 million in state budget cuts the UW System may face over the next two years.

With the university’s strategic framework having expired in 2014, the two members of UW administration met with the Associated Students of Madison Coordinating Council to discuss the new framework, which will describe the university’s general direction until its expiration in 2019.

According to the proposed report handed out at the meeting, the university’s priorities include building upon UW’s educational experience — especially through improving affordability, research and scholarship — The Wisconsin Idea, maintaining a talented workforce and promoting resource stewardship.

Instead of focusing on the report, though, the meeting soon turned to the looming issue of potential cuts to UW’s budget, with many members of the council expressing concerns over how the administration will maintain UW’s academic quality and commitment to diversity programs.

Gov. Scott Walker’s biennial budget proposal calls for $300 million in cuts and also seeks to extend a tuition freeze for in-state undergraduate students.

In response, Mangelsdorf offered her view that the university must work to increase efficiency, limit waste and find ways to generate revenue, including asking alumni to donate more.

“The percentage of alumni who give at a place like Wisconsin is far lower than at Northwestern, where I was before, because people think they gave in their tax dollars,” Mangelsdorf said. “Part of what we have to do is educate alums to let them know that we really need their support.”

Mangelsdorf said that all too often, alumni think the state provides more than it does, saying the current tuition freeze has made it difficult to offset the fall in revenue.

She also mentioned administration may consider raising the price of attending the university for those who are not from Wisconsin, which UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank has said she supports.

“In the short-term, we will try to protect the academic programs as much as we absolutely can with the resources we have, with new ways to generate revenues with the university,” Mangelsdorf said. “Inevitably, there will have to be some tuition increases, because every other budget cut has been offset by tuition increases, but in-state tuition will be the same.”