University of Wisconsin System President Jay Rothman (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh photo)

The president of the Universities of Wisconsin continues to stress the need for more money ahead of this year’s budget-writing session.

“I am encouraged by the support of Gov. (Tony) Evers,” President Jay Rothman said during an interview with WisEye. “I’ve had some productive conversations with legislators on both sides of the aisle. And we’re going to continue those conversations.”

Rothman is not saying if the conversations have changed the minds of the Republicans who will write the new state budget.

Republicans leaders at the Capitol, including Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, have said Rothman’s request for $855 million more in the new state budget is too much.

Rothman said the additional requests comes after 10 years of a tuition freeze and what he termed neglect.

“I have had continuing, good conversations with both the speaker and Sen. LeMahieu, and others,” Rothman said. “But I look at it from this standpoint – the University of Wisconsin over a decade-plus was, in my humble opinion, neglected in terms of funding. We had our tuition frozen for a decade. That has put us in a very difficult financial position. And all we’re trying to do with the $855 million ask is get us to the national median. Get Wisconsin to average. Under the circumstances, I don’t think that’s an unreasonable ask.”

Rothman also said that without the $855 million there will be cuts.

“I have said very publicly, if we get $855 million I will not recommend tuition increases for the two years of the biennium. We will not move to close any branch campuses that are otherwise slated for closure during that period of time,” Rothman added. “If we (do not), we’re going to have to look at some things that quite frankly, are painful for me to even think about, but are necessary. Because ultimately, I’m responsible for the financial viability and sustainability of our universities, and we’ll take the steps that are necessary to ensure that we do that. But that will impact accessibility and it will impact affordability in ways that I don’t think are in the best interest of our state.”

The total budget for the Universities of Wisconsin is nearly $8 billion. Nearly $1.5 billion of that comes from the state.

Under Rothman’s leadership, the UW System has raised tuition in each of the past two years.

The university is facing scrutiny about those tuition increases. Lawmakers are also likely to press Rothman about the recent revelation that UW-Madison has been spending 55% of its federal research dollars on non-research things like building upkeep and administrative costs.

Rothman has said taking a “meat cleaver” to the school’s research funding, however, is not the solution.

—

The Center Square is a project of the 501(c)(3) Franklin News Foundation.