Senate Democrats voted Tuesday to restore $88 million in proposed cuts in funding to the UW System, to cap the tuition increase for Wisconsin residents at 8 percent and to increase financial aid by $1 million, under the revised state budget deficit proposal. The proposal did not specify any increases in out-of-state tuition.
Chancellor John Wiley said he approved of the proposal. “[The proposal] sends a clear message that the state’s flagship institution, like all UW campuses, should have the support it needs to remain one of this country’s top universities, without cutting enrollment,” Wiley said.
Under the plan, the UW System would see cuts of only $20 million in the next two years.
The Senate Democrats’ plan is drastically less than what the Republican-controlled state Assembly approved and nearly $30 million less than the amount suggested by Gov. Scott McCallum in his budget repair plan.
“This is very good news for students who want a college opportunity in Wisconsin, and it’s very good news for the state’s economy and all the local economies where the campuses are located, ” UW System President Katharine Lyall said.
Six months ago, the university began planning for about $20 million in cuts, which will come from administrative costs, supplies and other areas that will not affect students or faculty.
Under the proposal, the university can only increase in-state tuition by 8 percent without legislative approval. Financial aid will also be increased by $1 million.
Mike Browne, spokesman for state Sen. Chuck Chvala, D-Madison, said the changes to the bill show the philosophical differences between Assembly Republicans and Senate Democrats.
“What Senate Democrats adopted today is a world of difference than what was proposed,” Browne said. “The way we grow our economy is through education — look at Minnesota; they have a higher average income, and they had a higher number of college grads living in the state.”
The Senate and Assembly have to pass the same version of the budget repair bill before McCallum can sign it into law. A committee of both Representatives and Senators will work out the differences between the Assembly and Senate budget bills after the Senate approves its version.
The Assembly last month approved its own budget repair bill, which would have cut $108 million from the system’ s 26 campuses. The UW System Board of Regents voted March 8 to freeze admission. The freeze was lifted March 22 after receiving assurances from Senate Democrats that they would not approve a budget bill that included deep cuts. UW campuses still have a hiring freeze in effect for all nonessential open positions.
Senate Democrats also voted on a proposal Tuesday intended to bolster the state’ s biotechnology research industry. This would provide a $50,000 grant to Forward Wisconsin, a public-private economic development group, to study methods to develop Wisconsin’ s national image for attracting work in electronics and biotechnology fields.
It would also require the state’s Investment Board to put $50 million in venture capital firms willing to make investments in technology development in Wisconsin.
Increasing funding to biotechnology is coupled with the goal of helping Wisconsin’s economy.
“We need to continue to look ahead to the long-term economic health of the state, and we know that legislators from both political parties share that goal,” said Jay Smith, president of the Board of Regents.
Wiley said he hopes the Legislature acknowledges the critical role of the university in the economy.
“It is my hope that the budget that is adopted by the full Legislature and signed by the governor will also recognize the role this university plays in educating tomorrow’s workforce and strengthening our state’s economy,” Wiley said.
