S&W invites nominations for a new board of contributing editors.

January 19th, 2012

For over four years, Sifting and Winnowing has served as a forum for the campus community to speak out on issues that cannot be adequately debated in the student dailies or the off-campus media alone.  For most of those years, we have depended on sporadic contributions by around a dozen individuals who have written mainly when they felt inspired by current events.

Our resolution for 2012 is to increase the range of voices and the breadth of topics and opinions represented and to ensure a somewhat steadier supply of new and thought-provoking commentary.  To that end, we are recruiting a volunteer board of Contributing Editors, each member of which will commit to writing (or soliciting) short but regular posts on topics of their choice.

If you know someone — faculty, staff, student, alum, or informed member of the public — whom you believe could write thoughtfully and knowledgeably about issues and events that matter (or should matter) to those who care about the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we invite you to submit your nominations to admin@siftingandwinnowing.org.  We are especially interested in potential contributors who would bring a fresh, entertaining, and/or provocative perspective to issues and policies we seldom stop to think about.  Self-nominations are encouraged.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Supporting our future.

January 10th, 2012

As the new year approaches, I have our future students on my mind.

Today one of our core values is at stake—something that should concern all of us who are committed to the future of our college, UW–Madison and Wisconsin. I am talking about declining state support for postsecondary education and its devastating effect on our young people and their opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Agricultural and Life Sciences, College costs, State-University Relations, The University Budget | 1 Comment »

Are Our Pensions Next?

January 5th, 2012

In a little discussed or noted provision in the current state budget, the Governor ordered a study of the WRS pension system. Specifically, the study is to report on the potential for conversion of the current WRS into a defined contribution plan and to end the current defined benefit plan.

In brief, a defined contribution (DC) plan is one in which the benefit is directly determined by the amount of principle and interest contributed by the annuitant. 401-K’s are the most common forms of DC plan instruments. They are typically managed by private investment firms. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in State worker benefits, State-University Relations | 5 Comments »

Wrapping up a traumatic year for UW-Madison, and a challenge for 2012

December 31st, 2011

Those who work and/or study at UW-Madison can be forgiven for feeling like pinatas.  It’s hard to imagine more drama in one year.  Like the sticks wielded by small children seeking easy loot, the blows came from many directions, sometimes seemingly all at once.

It’s also hard to imagine a clearer and more succinct summary of the year than that provided by Todd Finkelmeyer over at the Capital Times:

There are some who still believe, despite the evidence, that the split from the UW System championed by both Chancellor Martin and Governor Walker would have been a good thing, on balance, for the University.  But as Finkelmeyer put it, Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Defunct war strategy program may still overshadow University of Wisconsin-Madison’s history of dissent.

November 29th, 2011

This article is part 2 of a two-part series on the military’s influence in academia and originally appeared here on Truthout. Part 1 ran previously on Truthout.

Once viewed by some as a “rising star” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, historian Jeremi Suri announced in early May that he was leaving Madison to pursue his fame and fortune at the University of Texas-Austin.

With him went the fortunes of the short-lived and now deceased UW-Madison Grand Strategy Program (GSP), which he founded and headed as one part of a broader network of strategic studies programs currently underway on select campuses elsewhere.

The UW GSP, formally launched two years ago, opened a new era of direct military and national security state involvement at Madison. Over a year’s in-depth look at the now-defunct project – including emails and other documents obtained via the Wisconsin Open Records Law – has provided a glimpse into the goings-on at one university in a network increasingly enmeshed in preparations for a “Long War” for US global power in the 21st century.

Back to the Future

The University of Wisconsin-Madison was once a storied center of opposition to war and militarism, especially during the Vietnam War era. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in The UW-Madison Campus, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

The real UW pay plan.

November 23rd, 2011
This figure (click to enlarge) represents the real and nominal changes in the salary of a UW System employee. This does not include total compensation such as health insurance, costs of leave benefits, etc.
However, it does include reductions in salary due to higher co-pays for insurance and WRS. It also includes the reductions of salary due to furlough and the addition of 3% when the furloughs ended. I do not project the loss of real income in 2012 due to inflation and no increase in salary.
Contact David at wiununion@gmail.com for more info, comments, etc.

Posted in Compensation, State worker benefits, The University Budget, The University System | No Comments »

Rise in sticker price at public colleges outpaces that at private colleges for 5th year in a row.

November 23rd, 2011

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published the following article on rising costs at public universities:

Rise in Sticker Price at Public Colleges Outpaces That at Private Colleges for 5th Year in a Row, by Beckie Supiano, October 26, 2011

The average price for tuition and fees at public four-year colleges was $8,244 for in-state students in 2011-12, up from $7,613 in 2010-11, an 8.3-percent increase. That percentage change drops to 7.0 percent if California—which had a 21-percent increase in tuition in that one-year period—is excluded.

Here in Wisconsin, in-state tuition and fees for the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the fall 2011 semester totaled $4,832.50, compared with $4,491.60 for the fall 2010 semester; in-state tuition and fees for UW-Milwaukee for the fall 2011 semester totaled $4,337.70, compared with $4,075.63 for the fall 2010 semester.   In percentage terms, the increases are 7.6% and 6.4%, respectively.

The basic message in this is that UW-Madison’s in-state tuition is still well below the national average, but the percentage increase is comparable to that experienced elsewhere.  In short, like elsewhere, the investment by the state of Wisconsin in making higher education affordable for all of its citizens is being dialed back.

We already knew this, of course.  But the latest massive hits to the UW-System budget, not reflected in the above figures,  are virtually certain to sharply accelerate the cost increases.    In fact,  if current trends continue, we can expect to see the distinction between private and public institutions become almost meaningless.

Is this really what the citizens of Wisconsin want?

 

Posted in College costs, State-University Relations, The University Budget, The University System, The UW-Madison Campus | 1 Comment »

The UW Budget: From bad to worse in 2 days.

October 21st, 2011

My posting on Wednesday on the reductions in state funding of UW was incorrect. I relied on a number of news accounts (Milwaukee  Journal-Sentinel, WSJ, etc.) for the information. Now, having read Vice Chancellor Bazzell’s memo, it is clear that the cuts will be far worse than originally reported.

To recap, news accounts in all major media initially stated that the UW-System would be subject to about $65 million in cuts over the biennium as a part of an overall state budget reduction of $174 million. (UW-Madison’s share of the reduction would be $24.6 million.) The Dept of Administration, which apportions the cuts, did not explain why UW would shoulder 37% of the reduction despite the fact that it constitutes only 7% of the state budget.

Today, the other shoe dropped. The other shoe in this instance is the probable loss of $111 million over the biennium; our share of an overall budget reduction of $300 million. Madison’s loss would be $42.6 million. This loss alone could not be “made up” if tuition for every student was increased $1000/ year. This is, of course, in addition to the $250 million loss to the System (and Madison) in the budget passed last summer. In contrast, aid to local government ($1.9 billion) is only nicked ($3 million) as is aid to K-12 education, the biggest item in the budget. Under the “$300 million scenario”, the UWS would still lose a disproportionate share of its state funding at a ratio of 5:1.

While the budget reduction of $300 million has not been ordered, agencies have been told to prepare for the loss. The reduction will be ordered if tax revenues do not increase in the next few months.

Under the $300 million reduction scenario, the Dept of Corrections would reduce its budget by $23 million or 1.4%. This would result in the UW receiving 6.7% of the state budget and the Dept of Corrections receiving 6.8%. The trend lines have crossed.

UW System
Budget % of Total State Budget % of Agency Budget
Before Cut $2,095,251,600 7.2%
Cut $163,900,000 7.8%
After Cut $1,931,351,600 6.7%
Department of Corrections
Budget % of Total State Budget % of agency budget
Before Cut $1,994,614,400 6.9%
Cut $27,924,602 1.4%
After Cut $1,966,689,798 6.8%

DMA

Posted in State-University Relations, The University Budget, The University System | 5 Comments »

UW System may soon trail Department of Corrections in share of state funding.

October 19th, 2011

For many years there has been an interest in the ever-increasing state funding of corrections (aka “prisons”) and the simultaneous decline in the proportion of state funding of higher education. While there is reasonable debate about whether the state contribution has in fact increased in real dollars or the inestimable value of “stopping crime”, there remains enormous symbolic value in the primacy of being the state function that receives the most money. Its the old, “we’re number one!”

With the announcement of the new round of budget cuts ($65 million for the System, $13 million for Corrections), I reviewed LFB publications to see if indeed the UW is still #1 in the purse, if not the hearts, of Wisconsin.

I found (see table below) that although UWS funding will be $48M greater than that of Corrections (after the cuts), they are not only in the same ballpark, they are almost on the same base. UWS receives 7% of the total share of state funding while Corrections receives 6.8%. The budgetary trend lines of the two agencies have nearly merged because the budget reduction of UW is four times greater (as a percent of their budget) than that imposed on Corrections.

With additional inequitable budget reductions probable due to inflated revenue estimates, will Badger fans yell, “We’re Number Two! We’re Number Two!”

UW System
Budget % of Total State Budget % of Agency Budget
Before Cut $2,095,251,600 7.2%
Cut $65,769,847 3.1%
After Cut $2,029,481,753 7.0%
Department of Corrections
Budget % of Total State Budget % of agency budget
Before Cut $1,994,614,400 6.9%
Cut $13,400,479 0.7%
After Cut $1,981,213,921 6.8%

DMA

Posted in State-University Relations, The University Budget, The University System, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Connecting Engaged Scholarship with the Wisconsin Idea

October 6th, 2011

Presentation and Panel Discussion

October 25, 2011

A Year of the Wisconsin Idea Event

Over the last quarter century, a national conversation about the societal relevance of higher education has gained considerable momentum. At the core of this dialogue lie the concepts of engagement and engaged scholarship, which call for universities to partner with their communities in addressing societal ills and creating positive change. A growing demand has emerged on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus for a public discussion of these issues, as symbolized by the ongoing Year of the Wisconsin Idea.

To contribute to this dialogue, three national engagement experts and a panel of UW–Madison scholars will lead a conversation surrounding the following question: “How can engaged scholarship help advance the Wisconsin Idea by reconciling UW–Madison’s competing obligations as both a land-grant and research intensive university?” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in The Wisconsin Idea, Uncategorized, Upcoming events | 14 Comments »

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