Opinion: Letter
Madison Initiative gets it right
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Chancellor Biddy Martin recently released the details of a plan to enhance the quality of the undergraduate educational experience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison while preserving affordability for families with demonstrated financial need. The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates will be funded through an increase in tuition, a premium that will be offset with private grants for those who can least afford to pay the increase. The stakes have never been higher for our great university, and I wanted to share my thoughts on this initiative with current students who may feel confused or burdened by this.
As a taxpayer, involved alumnus, donor and former president of the Board of Regents, I believe I have a unique perspective on this initiative. UW-Madison has been one of the premier public universities throughout its history. Its excellence is embodied in the quality of people and ideas that it has produced. Our graduates have experienced considerable success in their endeavors. These achievements are extraordinary and stretch far beyond the average person or even the average college graduate. UW-Madison is a big reason why I am where I am today and why I have felt it my duty to step up and support the university for the next generations.
But don’t just take my word for it. UW-Madison alumni from around the world have delivered significant support to the university in recent years through efforts like the recently concluded “Create the Future Campaign” led by the UW Foundation, which raised more than $1.5 billion.
Despite this momentum, our work continues. There is still no guarantee the achievements of the university or its future graduates will match those of the past. As people have come to appreciate the value of an outstanding university education, competition has risen among states and nations to attract the best faculty and deliver the best programs. As others seek to capture the benefits we have long enjoyed at UW-Madison, we have seen increased departures of talented faculty and the cost to maintain a world-class university has increased while our share of state taxpayer dollars has decreased. This cost pressure inevitably shows up in all areas of our programs as more resources are required to attract and retain faculty. Chancellor Martin has taken a bold step by asking you to take more responsibility for the long-term quality of the university. This, I’m sure, was an extremely difficult decision for our new leader to arrive at considering the current budget tightening. You may have wondered, “Why me? Why now? How will I benefit?”
As you mull this over, I would urge you reflect on the high-quality education you have already received as a UW-Madison student and the importance of preserving this standard for the future generations. These are indeed tough times, but by taking important steps together, we all go further. This is an important moment in the future of the university, and I encourage you to join with alumni and others and make this investment today.
Sheldon B. Lubar
BBA 1951
LLB 1953
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IP hash: cc598591
I’m sick of all these donors supporting it. If you had to subsidize other kids educations for the sole reason your parents made over 80000 but still had to pay for school yourself you wouldn’t have written this letter.
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Yeah. Alumni contributions are, um, a bit different. They are VOLUNTARY. Where do we draw the boundaries? Graduates of Wisconsin have benefited The World, and Commerce, and Themselves, And Wall Street, and Large Corporations, etc. And also The State. And The Other States: Illinois, and Iowa, and Minnesota, and… (ad infinitum). Too bad we (have to) spend so much on imprisonment, there might more left for education. I guess we’ve emphasized the wrong majors.
IP hash: 53a6d1e2
Considering Mr. Lubar has rooms and buildings named after him on numerous UW campuses, it is easy to see how he can afford to support this short-sighted initiative. Indeed, Mr. Lubar has enough money to support scholarships for many of our students. He has been a generous donor to our university, but unfortunately is way off base on this. If he would like to step-up and give us even more money to help us pay the increases we face because of this moronic plan, that would be much more productive than this letter.
IP hash: 974fd503
Sheldon,
As the former president of the Board of Regents, you have a vested interest on this initiative. It is not “unique” in any respect, as raising tuition is the first choice of UW bureaucrats. Most assuredly, it was not a “tough decision” for Biddy Martin. It is a well worn rut.
As rational individuals, we balance our personal budgets by reducing discretionary spending, paying down debt, living within our means, and saving for the future. Apparently, the bureaucrats running the greater University of Wisconsin system haven’t learned these lessons yet. Perhaps their studies at UW - Madison were deficient. Mine and many other like minded Alum’s were not.
As you mull this over, I urge you to reflect on putting the UW-Madison financial house in order before you ask anyone to contribute more money, as tuition, Alumni support of WARF, or direct grants. I’m seriously rethinking my support of the university. I’m sure many other Alums are as well.
Alumni BS-84 and MS-86
IP hash: 1b234aff
Well, what is your proposal to fix it the issue? If you don’t like this one, give us a different option? If you want to complain that is fine but back it up with suggestions of other solutions.
IP hash: cc598591
to 3:01 pm I would be fine with it if it raised tuition on all students or gave more aid to all students regardless of how much their parents make. That is my proposal
IP hash: 7a421a26
“Well, what is your proposal to fix it the issue? If you don’t like this one, give us a different option? If you want to complain that is fine but back it up with suggestions of other solutions.”
Agreed. It’s easy to bash, not easy to come up with alternatives. Make that feasible alternatives.
IP hash: 407047af
1-Eliminate the Athletic Department/Program. 2-If the Athletic Department/Program is retain, melt down the statues of Richter and Alvarez to cover the “additional fees” that season ticket holders are obliged to “contribute.” 3-All meeting of the Regents should be open and televised. 4-Employ an outside accounting firm to audit and review all spending and create a paper report that would be available to all. 5-Bring the “University Hospital” back under the review, control and ownership of the University. 6- State of Wisconsin department should assign Chancellor Martin a budget systems mentor to review system(s)spending/available monies, advise how best to proceed and report to the State of Wisconsin department and issue quarterly paper reports available to all. 7-Institute flat fee tuition for in and out-of-state undergraduate students. 8-Institute static, flat fee tuition for in and out-of-state graduate students that responds annually to market needs. 9-Institute required lecture minimums for professors and support a publicly available reporting structure. 10-Put all of the above into place and I won’t have to keep listing newer items.
Thank you, Anonymous
*personal opinion(s), not necessarily those of my employer nor representative of this IP address…
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The justification for all of this seems to be to maintain the University’s ability to attract and retain top faculty and students. If that’s the case and tuition needs to be raised as a result then offer more merit based financial aid. The fact that no mention of this aid is made is a clear indication that the intention is not what they say but rather one more step toward open bias against the very families that already fund most of or roads, primary schools and government programs.