The intensely debated future of the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha could result in a merger with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, UW officials say. This merger was recently reviewed in a Jan. 31 report to the University of Wisconsin System.

The report, released by a task force studying the issue, describes opposing opinions of Waukesha community members. While some believe the merger would be beneficial for the community, others fear it will undermine the original mission of the two-year institution.

The report's findings will be used to spark discussion about "how best to add value in Waukesha County and the Milwaukee metropolitan area through higher education opportunities and research activity," said Donald Mash, executive senior vice president for the UW System and head of the task force, in a UW System release.

Consideration of a merger between UW-Waukesha and UWM began last spring when state Rep. Scott Jensen, R-Brookfield, authored legislation that would require the merger for the 2007-08 year.

But Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed the proposed merger and instead directed a task force to determine the educational needs of Waukesha County.

Proponents of the merger, such as Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas and the Waukesha County Action Network, contributed to the task force's recent report. They cited the importance of creating financial efficiency and increasing and maintaining a properly educated workforce in Waukesha.

Unlike Wisconsin's four-year institutions, the land and buildings of each two-year campus are owned by local government agencies that are responsible for their maintenance.

"[The merger] presents an opportunity to achieve significant savings for our taxpayers through the sharing of resources," Vrakas said in a statement.

Also, as a two-year campus, UW-Waukesha cannot offer the scope of degrees available at a four-year campus such as UWM.

WCAN Board President Margaret Farrow addressed this issue in a statement, discussing the need for four-year undergraduate and graduate programs in Waukesha County, which would offer a wider scope of educational opportunities.

"The proposed merger could answer these needs," she said, "[a]nd [could also] add significantly to the growth of southeastern Wisconsin."

Yet students find advantage in the current situation.

"I believe that it is beneficial that UW-Waukesha is a two-year college because it does help students financially," said Jennifer Schwasinger, a senior at UW-Madison who spent two years at UW-Waukesha. "Also, because UW-Madison has the Connections Program, it makes it so that you can essentially be a Madison student and use all of the facilities but save money and live at home for the first two years."

The Connections Program, also offered through UWM, is designed so students can earn a bachelor's degree from participating four-year universities without ever leaving their local two-year campus, including UW-Waukesha.

No less than the first half of the degree is completed at the two-year campus, while upper-level courses leading to the bachelor's degree are taken through a four-year institution.

This program, along with other benefits including more relaxed admission standards and lower tuition than four-year colleges, could be lost in the merger.

"I was very happy with the education that I received at UW-Waukesha, and I think that if they are looking into making it a four-year college, then I would be interested in learning more about it and how much more of an increase the tuition would be," Schwasinger said.

The Board of Regents is expected to discuss the merger in March.