Gov. Tony Evers in a press release today gave the following statement in reaction to the University Financial Assessments released by the University of Wisconsin (UW) system for seven UW campuses: UW–Green Bay, UW–Oshkosh, UW–Parkside, UW–Platteville, UW–River Falls, UW–Superior, and UW–Whitewater. The assessments examine the strained financial circumstances facing UW campuses — a consequence driven largely by both disinvestment in the UW system over the last decade-plus and inadequate recent state investments approved by the Wisconsin State Legislature to make the UW system whole.
Said Evers, “Addressing the challenges facing students, faculty, and staff at our UW system campuses through meaningful long-term investments must be a top priority for the next state budget. I will be asking the Legislature to approve the largest increase in state support for the UW system in more than two decades.
“UW campuses are already making difficult decisions, laying off and furloughing employees and restructuring and cutting altogether important programs and operations and staff, making student retention more difficult… Investing in the UW system is critical if we want to address our state’s workforce challenges and be able to compete to recruit, train, and retain talented workers.”
