Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin was able to kill collective-bargaining rights for state workers, but he can’t kill the Wisconsin Idea, the mission statement of the University of Wisconsin. Not yet, at least.
A storm of controversy erupted on Wednesday, when it was discovered that the governor’s budget proposal would excise the ideals of “knowledge,” “truth,” and “public service” from the mission statement, which is ensconced in state law.
By Thursday, the governor, a Republican and possible 2016 presidential candidate, had backed away from that change, offering a variety of reasons for what he originally called a “drafting error.”
University leaders had been quick to defend the system’s broad mission and were equally quick to let the governor’s misstep be forgiven and forgotten. But there are bigger questions ahead and months of uncertainty as they negotiate with state lawmakers to enact sweeping regulatory freedoms in exchange for as much as $300-million in budget cuts in the two-year budget.
“There’s no way you could absorb this,” Rebecca M. Blank, chancellor of the system’s flagship in Madison, said during an interview.
“There will be an extended conversation with the Legislature,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for us to make our voices heard.”
New Plans
The proposed deal is not entirely a surprise to system officials, who have been negotiating in private with the governor and his staff for some weeks, according to reports based on emails obtained by news organizations.
Instead of operating under the rules that govern most state agencies, the university system would receive its money as a block grant and be cut free from many of the regulations that cover employee compensation and benefits, purchasing, and planning and building campus facilities.
The proposal would also give system officials more control over how they use money for financial aid and the ability to alter a tuition-reciprocity agreement with neighboring Minnesota.
The ability to set higher tuition for nonresidents could be a significant boon for the flagship, Ms. Blank told the system’s Board of Regents during a meeting on Thursday, because the campus charges the fourth-lowest amount of the public flagships in its athletic conference and could command a much higher price.
The full cost of the governor’s plan, however, will take several more weeks to understand, system officials said. In addition to reducing the system’s appropriations by $300-million over two years, the proposed budget would freeze tuition during that period.
A number of other cuts would also affect the university, such as eliminating some $3-million for a bio-energy institute and pushing the costs of municipal services, such as fire departments and water use, from the state to the campuses, Ms. Blank said.
At the regents’ meeting on Thursday, the system’s president, Raymond W. Cross, warned that there was much that administrators did not yet know. “A note of caution: As we share our notion of this proposal, please know that this may change daily,” Mr. Cross said.
Legislators Take Over
Governor Walker’s plan now heads to the State Legislature, where a Joint Finance Committee, with members from both the Senate and the Assembly, will seek a way to fill an estimated $2-billion budget deficit. The committee’s work will then have to be approved by both chambers before it can head to the governor’s desk.
State Rep. David Murphy, a Republican who is chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Colleges and Universities, said that he was seeking to soften the blow of the potential budget cuts for the university, but that he believes the increased autonomy will help the system become more efficient.
“It takes a certain vision to see where this takes the university,” he said in a phone interview on Thursday. “If you only see the budget cuts, you’re not going to like it.”
State Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, a Republican and a member of the Joint Finance Committee, as well as chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, said that legislators had to look at various needs of the state, but that she also hoped they could “minimize the reduction” to the university’s budget.
Senator Harsdorf said that she had spoken often with university leaders and that she supported the overall goals of the governor’s plan. “The reforms are something that I’m looking forward to learning more about, the long-term implications,” she said.
The senator also said that, despite the governor’s growing national profile, legislators would take their time to listen to their constituents, including the university system, in finalizing the budget.
“The governor has introduced his budget bill,” she said. “Now this is an opportunity to learn about the details and hear from the people.”
Eric Kelderman writes about money and accountability in higher education, including such areas as state policy, accreditation, and legal affairs.You can find him on Twitter @etkeld, or email him at eric.kelderman@chronicle.com.
