The state of Wisconsin has seen its fair share political and social issues. Our governor took a two-month hiatus from being our governor, that same governor slashed our higher education budget and the University of Wisconsin professor tenure policy is changing.
Faculty Senate approves tenure policy, voices concern over graduate assistant compensation
If I’m a professor, or even just resident of our state, moving to another state would become a distinct possibility because it has become clear Wisconsin no longer cares about education. So it should be no surprise that a plethora of UW professors have gotten offers to move to other universities.
More and more universities across the country have noticed that the state of Wisconsin has become more hostile toward higher education.
Besides a governor who was absent from our state to run for president over the summer and the budget cuts and unilateral changes to tenure at UW, the state is also considering a ban on the use of aborted fetal tissue, which would make some medical research more difficult to conduct.
If that wasn’t enough to push you to the frozen tundra of Minnesota, just wait, there’s more.
In November, Chancellor Rebecca Blank released a directive to students and faculty in the wake of the events in Missouri that was perceived to be anti-free speech. Though the directive was not supposed to be taken that way, as the saying goes, perception is reality.
At this point the question, “Why stay?” comes to mind.
But do not worry, the state is trying even harder to push professors and citizens out of our state.
Last summer the Public Records Board expanded their definition of “transitory” electronic data, which now effectively allows for the objective deletion of electronic government data. This unilateral change was reversed, but the idea of the Wisconsin government trying to become less transparent is not unfounded, evident in the state’s attempts to curtail the long standing tradition of transparency.
Public Records Board unanimously reverses decision said to have limited open records access
The state is doing nothing to keep talented educators here, in fact they seem to be doing everything to push them away. Had it not been for UW offering an increased salary and increased research funding, we would not have been able to retain our top professors. But UW can only raise salaries and increase research funding so much before other top universities poach our finest educators.
The state needs to focus on improving our education system instead of giving it mortal wounds that leave a hole for top talent to leave. Instead of perceiving educators as less important, we need to make them more important.
All of these things would make Wisconsin an appealing state in which to teach and live. One could only hope that our state would use things besides beer, cheese and the Green Bay Packers to lure and retain its population of talented, irreplaceable educators.
Luke Schaetzel ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in journalism and political science.
