The price of freedom from state regulation has gone up for the University of Wisconsin.
Four years ago, Gov. Scott Walker proposed giving the University of Wisconsin at Madison autonomy from the rest of the system and relief from a host of state regulations. In exchange for that flexibility, the newly elected governor proposed a $250-million budget cut over two years.
The plan was eventually scuttled by state legislators, and the flagship’s chancellor at the time, Carolyn A. (Biddy) Martin, who had aggressively supported the controversial proposal, left her position not long afterward.
Now, re-elected to a second term, Governor Walker, a Republican and a potential presidential candidate in 2016, is reviving a similar but broader proposal to cut some of the ties between the state and the entire university system. The cost of that proposal, however, has increased to a $300-million budget cut over two years, along with a freeze on tuition.
Mr. Walker says the plan would save the university system money by allowing more flexibility on employee compensation and benefits, more efficient procurement processes, and more control over the planning and building of campus facilities.
“The people of Wisconsin deserve a government that is more effective, more efficient, and more accountable, and this plan protects the taxpayers and allows for a stronger UW System in the future,” the governor said in a statement released on Tuesday by his office.
Worth the Trade-Off?
Higher-education leaders have long advocated for such regulatory flexibility, but are concerned about the impact of the proposed budget cuts.
It would take at least two years to begin to realize the benefits of the efficiencies, said Rebecca M. Blank, chancellor of the Madison campus.
Jo Ellen Fair, chairwoman of the executive committee of the Faculty Senate at Madison, said campus leaders and faculty members have to think not only about the bottom line, but also about the impact of the cuts on educational quality.
Students could see the effects fairly quickly in a reduction of student services, more-limited access to libraries and laboratories, and lower availability of courses that they need to graduate. All of that could not only diminish the quality of their education, she warned, but also increase the time to graduation for some students.
Not surprisingly, union leaders blasted the plan as a way to help close the state’s $2-billion budget deficit with major cuts in higher education.
The governor’s plan shows that “he’s willing to do just about anything as he puts his presidential ambitions above the needs of Wisconsin,” Kim Kohlhaas, president of the Wisconsin chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a written statement. The union represents some faculty members, staff members, and graduate students in the university system.
Just weeks into his first term, Governor Walker ignited statewide protests with a plan to eradicate the collective-bargaining rights of University of Wisconsin faculty and staff members, and to nearly eliminate the bargaining rights of almost all other state workers, including graduate students.
But several factors could make his new plan an easier sell to campus leaders, the public, and the State Legislature than the 2011 proposal was.
The new measure would apply to the entire system and not just the flagship campus.
Just as important, the governor has increased his political clout in the state and nationally after surviving a recall election in 2012 and being re-elected last year. In addition, Republicans have wider majorities in both chambers of the Legislature, which will have to approve the governor’s proposal for it to take effect.
Despite the deep concerns about budget cuts, system leaders are expressing initial support for the proposed operating flexibility. “Make no mistake, the proposed cuts are substantial, and they will impact every one of our institutions,” said Raymond W. Cross, president of the university system.
But the short-term pain, he said, may be worth the long-term gain: “Taking a longer view, our new relationship with the state will allow us to leverage the system’s great resources, talent, and ideas to even better serve the people and economy of Wisconsin.”
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.
