Archive for the ‘The University System’ Category

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The missing message about universities and society.

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

The role of public higher education in a rapidly changing world rose to prominence  last week with two developments:  the University of Virginia’s governance debacle (see local commentary here) and the announcement of Gov. Scott Walker’s Flexible Online Degree initiative.

As noted in the previous article by another contributor, these two events have more in common than one might surmise from the above.  Both highlight the growing problem of affordability of four-year degrees, and both have their roots in the notion that the traditional model of university education has become outdated and inefficient.  In both cases, online education as a substitute for bricks-and-mortar lecture halls is/was touted as a solution. (more…)

Posted in College costs, Online education, State-University Relations, The University Budget, The University System, The Wisconsin Idea, UW Extension | No Comments »

A Charter School for the University of Wisconsin? Questions about the new UW Flexible Degree Program

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

Two events, each with potentially great repercussions for public higher education, came out of the blue last week. While one – the ouster of the President of the University of Virginia – was closely followed nationally and on this campus, the other – the announcement of a “flexible degree” model offered through UW-System/ Extension that, in the words of the Governor’s office, “will transform higher education in Wisconsin” received somewhat less attention than one might expect.

And yet the similarities are striking.  In both cases, changes in education at a renowned public university are supposed to be implemented virtually overnight to fix a host of vaguely defined problems.  And in both cases, the magic cure is to be found in online teaching and in other unspecified educational technologies. (more…)

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Posted in Flexible degree, Online education, State-University Relations, The University System, UW Extension | 1 Comment »

Give the Wisconsin Compact some teeth.

Friday, February 17th, 2012

Last Wednesday, the Joint Finance Committee handed UW System an additional $46.1 million cut in the form a budget lapse, continuing the deleterious trend of divestment from public higher education and the economic engine of Wisconsin. Like the $250 million that JFC cut from UW System this summer, this $46.1 million budget lapse will lead to continued faculty and staff salary freezes, gradually rising tuition, and threats to UW-Madison’s ability to produce an educated workforce for the twenty-first century. Although it is politically convenient to blame these cuts on the current Republican legislature and the Walker administration, the cuts to UW System have long-standing bipartisan roots. (more…)

Posted in College costs, State-University Relations, The University Budget, The University System | 3 Comments »

The real UW pay plan.

Wednesday, 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.

Wednesday, 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.

Friday, 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.

Wednesday, 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 »

Press conference today to announce interim chancellor selection.

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

At a news conference scheduled today at 4 p.m., UW System President Kevin Reilly and Board of Regents President Michael Spector will announce the selection of an interim chancellor for UW-Madison.

Coverage of the news conference will presumably be carried here, among other local outlets.

Posted in The University System, The UW-Madison Campus | 1 Comment »

UW System pulls plug on all employee organizations

Friday, June 24th, 2011

On Thursday, UW System notified all UW employee organizations that it would stop collecting dues effective in August. This will affect PROFS, ASPRO, WUU, and the Council for Supervisory Non-Classified Staff as well as the unions (AFSCME, TAA, etc.). (Note: UW Madison administration was not notified of this action until after the fact.)

While it had been anticipated that the state would end the deduction for the unions, the end of the deduction for organizations that do not engage in collective bargaining comes as a surprise. In Walker’s initial budget, the prohibiting language was limited to “labor organizations” which are defined as “an organization that engages in collective bargaining.”  However, when the bill was amended in Joint Finance a more expansive amendment was added that prohibited dues deduction for any employee organization other than those representing public safety employees. (more…)

Posted in Collective bargaining, Compensation, State worker benefits, State-University Relations, The University System | No Comments »

Review of NBP Controversy in Inside Higher Ed

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

In Inside Higher Ed‘s otherwise balanced and comprehensive review of the NBP and its remains, one statement stands out as demonstrably false and ultimately self-serving:  Near the end of the very long article, on the issue of continued state support for higher education, Martin says, “We have laid the groundwork for increased investment in higher education when the economy in Wisconsin begins to grow again.” (more…)

Posted in State-University Relations, The University Budget, The University System, The UW-Madison Campus | 10 Comments »

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