Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    Student Housing
    Serving Higher Ed
    Chronicle Festival 2025
Sign In
The States

Wisconsin Lawmakers Take Aim at Tenure and Shared Governance

By Eric Kelderman May 31, 2015
Raymond W. Cross, president of the U. of Wisconsin system (shown meeting with staff members shortly after his appointment last year), entered talks with the governor about winning more autonomy for the system. Some professors say those efforts were misguided.
Raymond W. Cross, president of the U. of Wisconsin system (shown meeting with staff members shortly after his appointment last year), entered talks with the governor about winning more autonomy for the system. Some professors say those efforts were misguided.M.P. King, Wisconsin State Journal, AP Images

Faculty members at the University of Wisconsin were disheartened on Friday after a state legislative committee approved proposals that would limit the faculty’s role in shared governance and eliminate laws protecting tenure.

The proposed changes, which some see as an attack on academic freedom, came from the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, which is working to finalize the state budget. Both chambers will still have to approve the budget before it goes to the governor, who could alter the document further with his line-item veto power.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Faculty members at the University of Wisconsin were disheartened on Friday after a state legislative committee approved proposals that would limit the faculty’s role in shared governance and eliminate laws protecting tenure.

The proposed changes, which some see as an attack on academic freedom, came from the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee, which is working to finalize the state budget. Both chambers will still have to approve the budget before it goes to the governor, who could alter the document further with his line-item veto power.

The university system’s president and Board of Regents have promised to adopt new tenure protections in the university’s policies. But some faculty members have lost trust in the system’s leaders, whom they blame for leading a misguided attempt to free the system from many state regulations as a “public authority.”

The system’s president, Raymond W. Cross, had negotiated with Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, to give the system that autonomy. But the governor also wanted the system to absorb a $300-million budget cut over two years and freeze tuition during that period.

While the autonomy plan was rejected by legislators, they lowered the budget cut by only $50 million, to $250 million, and left the tuition freeze in place.

“We were never, never going to get public authority,” said Noel Radomski, director of the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education at the flagship campus, in Madison.

Tenure Off Track

In addition to eliminating tenure from state laws, the legislative committee approved a measure that would allow the university to lay off tenured faculty members without declaring financial exigency — for example, when the university discontinued an academic program.

While the outlines of shared governance would remain in state statute, lawmakers voted to insert language that would make all faculty, student, and staff advice “subordinate to” the authority of the campus and system leaders.

“That’s a seismic change,” said Mr. Radomski, because it would centralize power in the system’s president and Board of Regents and away from other groups that have traditionally shared in the decision-making process.

In addition, the board soon will consider a policy to give its members more authority while limiting the role of faculty members in searches for new campus leaders, according to an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In a written statement, Michael J. Falbo, president of the Board of Regents, said the board appreciated the new “spirit of collaboration” between the system and the Legislature. “With President Cross’s leadership, this new sense of partnership has helped us get to where we are today. It has also set a new standard and tone for how we can best serve our students, our institutions, the state, and taxpayers in the future.”

ADVERTISEMENT

For his part, Mr. Cross expressed gratitude that lawmakers had reduced the proposed budget cut and had also granted the university some limited freedom from state procurement laws and construction rules when all of the money comes from grants or philanthropic gifts.

“I know this has been a difficult budget with many tough decisions. The work of the committee illustrates a willingness to open a new dialogue and partnership between the Legislature and the UW System,” Mr. Cross said in a written statement.

In a separate statement, Mr. Cross and the board’s vice president, Regina Millner, said the board would move to put tenure into system policies “immediately.”

Taken together, the proposed changes in tenure and shared governance represent a broad attack on academic freedom, said Rudy H. Fichtenbaum, president of the American Association of University Professors. If faculty members can’t help determine the budget and spending priorities at their campus, they are losing the ability to set the academic direction of the institution.

ADVERTISEMENT

Even if the board puts tenure back into systemwide policy, Mr. Radomski said, it could be weakened in the future by the board members, who are appointed by the governor and are not friendly to those protections for faculty members.

Faculty-union leaders were more direct in their criticism of legislators.

“What happened today is a major blow to academic freedom by a group of wealthy and powerful politicians who seem to fear a population capable of critical thought,” said Richard Leson, an associate professor of art history at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and president of the Association of University of Wisconsin Professionals.

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.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Tags
Law & Policy Political Influence & Activism
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
Eric Kelderman
About the Author
Eric Kelderman
Eric Kelderman covers issues of power, politics, and purse strings in higher education. You can email him at eric.kelderman@chronicle.com, or find him on Twitter @etkeld.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Related Content

Greetings From Wisconsin, Where Higher Ed Is a Love-Hate Affair

More News

UCLA students, researchers and demonstrators rally during a "Kill the Cuts" protest against the Trump administration's funding cuts on research, health and higher education at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles on April 8, 2025.
Scholarship & Research
Trump Proposed Slashing the National Science Foundation’s Budget. A Key Senate Committee Just Refused.
Illustration of a steamroller rolling over a colorful road and leaving gray asphalt in its wake.
Newly Updated
Oregon State U. Will End a Renowned Program That Aimed to Reduce Bias in Hiring
Dr. Gregory Washington, president of George Mason University.
Another probe
George Mason President Discriminated Against White People After George Floyd Protests, Justice Dept. Says
Protesters gather outside the Department of Education headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 14, 2025 to protest the Trump administrations cuts at the agency.
An Uncertain Future
The Education Dept. Got a Green Light to Shrink. Here Are 3 Questions About What’s Next.

From The Review

Photo-based illustration with repeated images of a student walking, in the pattern of a graph trending down, then up.
The Review | Opinion
7 Ways Community Colleges Can Boost Enrollment
By Bob Levey
Illustration of an ocean tide shaped like Donald Trump about to wash away sandcastles shaped like a college campus.
The Review | Essay
Why Universities Are So Powerless in Their Fight Against Trump
By Jason Owen-Smith
Photo-based illustration of a closeup of a pencil meshed with a circuit bosrd
The Review | Essay
How Are Students Really Using AI?
By Derek O'Connell

Upcoming Events

07-31-Turbulent-Workday_assets v2_Plain.png
Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times
Ascendium_Housing_Plain.png
What It Really Takes to Serve Students’ Basic Needs: Housing
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin