Governor Jim Doyle?s proposed cut of $250 million from the University of Wisconsin System budget has elicited strong responses from Chancellor John D. Wiley, UW System President Katharine C. Lyall and UW?s Board of Regents President Guy Gottschalk.
Doyle?s cut is the largest to any state agency and, if approved by the Legislature, will be the UW?s largest budget cut in history.
?Of course I?m not happy [with the cuts],? Wiley said. ?It?s a huge cut to the university system.?
In order to deal with the massive cuts, Wiley says tuition will be increased.
?Cuts can be offset by potentially very large tuition increases,? Wiley said.
The budget will increase tuition for UW students up to $350 per semester at UW-Madison for in-state students. However, even with tuition increases UW campuses would still rank below the midpoint of tuition rates of their peer universities. Even with the increase, UW-Madison would rank 7 out of 9 public Big Ten universities.
In addition to the tuition increase, Doyle has proposed a $23.6 million increase in financial aid, which Wiley said is an important part of Doyle?s suggestions.
?There will be an even larger increase in financial aid,? Wiley said. He also said in a recent statement, ?It is essential that no Wisconsin resident be denied an opportunity to attend a UW campus simply because of cost,? stressing the need for an increase in financial aid.
UW campuses will also suffer numerous program cuts as well as administrative cuts. Wiley said it will take some time before for specifics to be released.
?We will try to protect student programs,? Wiley said. ?The state needs more graduates, not fewer.?
In addition to Wiley?s remarks regarding the budget cuts, Lyall expressed the possibility of tuition increases being refused, leading to the UW System and regents to prepare for the ?worst case scenario.? She also commented on the reaction expected from students and their families.
?We know that UW students and their families would prefer not to face steep tuition increases over the next few years, but there are others who will support these increases as a way to preserve their future access to the UW System,? Lyall said in a recent release.
Gottschalk stressed his recognition of the necessity for budget constraints, however, also noted the underlying problems of the tuition issues.
?But even with tuition increases, the university system will be left with a yawning hole in its budget,? Gottschalk said in a statement regarding the budget. ?And there are no easy ways to close this gap- especially given the fact that demand for our services is rising while state support is falling.?
With demand increasing, Wiley ensured that the best service possible will be provided to students. He said the university will continue to ?stay in close contact with students? and also noted that UW has dealt with ?bare bones? budget situations before, and yet has continued to provide students with excellent service.
Even with excellent service, though, students will still be affected.
?These cuts will affect every student on every campus,? Lyall said in a recent release. ?And they will be felt in every campus community… by landlords, music stores, energy companies, banks, pizza parlors, movie theaters, real estate agents, restaurants, hotels and many other businesses that serve UW related needs because of every state dollar…?
