Encouraged by Gov. Jim Doyle's latest budget proposal, the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents praised the governor's "reinvestment" in higher education Thursday.

The regents met at UW-Parkside in Kenosha yesterday for their monthly meeting that will continue today.

Since the regents' last meeting, Doyle announced his biennial budget. On Thursday, the regents formally discussed the governor's recommendations, praising his commitment to higher education.

Regent President David Walsh said the governor's budget is good news for higher education in Wisconsin, adding it would help UW recover from slashed funding in recent state budgets.

"It's a very positive signal," Walsh said, according to a UW System audio feed of Thursday's meeting. "The state is ready to reinvest in higher education."

Under the governor's budget, UW System Associate Vice President Freda Harris said the system would be able to apply all its Growth Agenda for Wisconsin initiatives in the 2008-09 fiscal year, according to the audio feed.

The Growth Agenda calls for an increase in student enrollment, improved retention, higher graduation rates and increases in programs specifically in science, engineering, education and nursing programs.

The regents' kind words for Doyle failed to impress state Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, however, one of the more vocal critics of the UW System. According to Suder, the regents are essentially a "mouthpiece" for the governor and have gone to great lengths to defend him and his budget.

"It doesn't surprise me at all that these partisan Doyle appointees would praise those tax increases," Suder said in an interview. "It is a dog-and-pony show to promote or give kudos to the governor."

Other regent notes

UW-Stout Chancellor Charles Sorensen presented his pitch to turn his university into a polytechnic institute, and said the recognition would fit well with the Growth Agenda.

During the presentation, Sorensen said UW-Stout already possesses many of the characteristics necessary to receive this distinction, including applied laboratories on campus, the strong emphasis on science and technology, and a commitment to programs in the liberal arts.

"The designation will raise the visibility of UW-Stout … in the form of government and private grants, and it will raise the value of students' diplomas," Doug Mell, UW-Stout director of communications, said in an interview.

The Education Committee approved the designation for the Menomonie campus, and the entire board will continue deliberating the designation today.

In addition, the Education Committee discussed various ways of expanding educational options for students at UW-Waukesha.

A report, submitted by UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Carlos Santiago and David Wilson, chancellor of UW Colleges and UW-Extension, found the university center to be the most cost-effective option.

"The board had a good discussion about Waukesha, but nothing is planned and no action was taken — rather it was merely reflective," UW System spokesperson David Giroux said in a previous interview.

UW System President Kevin Reilly added the university center at UW-Waukesha should serve as a "model for future university centers across the state."

"University leaders are sometimes criticized for not 'thinking like businesspeople,'" Reilly said, according to the audio feed. "But that's exactly what we're trying to do here."