Universities of Wisconsin administrators and legislators will continue to contend over the future of budget allocations for UW schools, following a narrow vote Saturday by the Board of Regents that rejected a deal which would have exchanged diversity, equity and inclusion programming for state funding.
Under the deal, UW schools would have received funding to construct a new College of Engineering building on the UW–Madison campus and provide pay raises to UW state employees, while also agreeing to repurpose a third of all DEI service roles toward “student success,” according to previous reporting from The Badger Herald.
In a statement released Saturday after the Board’s vote, UW–Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin expressed disappointment in the outcome, but acknowledged the challenging situation the Board was placed in.
UW Board of Regents rejects proposed State Assembly deal, maintains DEI positions
“I recognize this was an imperfect compromise, but I nonetheless supported it as the best way to move the priorities of our campus forward,” Mnookin said in the statement.
Mnookin added that she will continue to work with UW leadership, the Board of Regents, legislative leaders and Gov. Tony Evers on these “important issues” over the coming weeks and months.
State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison), who represents the UW–Madison campus, said the Board’s decision showed their awareness of the responsibility they have to look after campus communities.
“It [the vote] shows how deeply the Board of Regents take their responsibilities to be good stewards of the Universities of Wisconsin,” Roys said.
The State Legislature, which operates with a $4 billion budget surplus, has had more than enough funds to supply UW institutions, Roys said.
Looking forward, it is unclear exactly when progress will be made on funding for UW schools, Roys said. The State Legislature can allocate funds at any moment, but decisions are subject to approval by Republicans, who control the Legislature, Roys said.
Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said the deal rejected by the Board was the Assembly’s “best and final offer,” according to WisPolitics.
“It’s a shame they’ve denied employees their raises and the almost 1b investment that would have been made in the UW System all so they could continue their ideological campaign to force students to believe only one viewpoint is acceptable on campus,” Vos said on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday.
Roys expressed concern that further delays in plans to construct a new engineering building on the UW–Madison campus. Regents at the Saturday meeting expressed similar concerns, but also said there was immense political pressure to grant funding to UW schools.
The State Legislature could vote to allocate funds during the next session starting Jan. 16, Roys said.
