UW Budget Concerns

UW Colleges and Extension Chancellor Cathy Sandeen says overall she is pleased with Governor Walker’s proposals for the UW System in the state budget. She says she is a bit concerned about a proposed cut in tuition rates at UW schools for the second year of the budget. She says the deal was that the UW would be compensated for that cut in tuition by receiving an equal amount of state general purpose funds. She says she’s not sure the budget includes that funding.  In the last state budget the UW System saw a $250 million cut in funding. Sandeen says a UW education is still among the five best in the nation for public schools, but continued cuts in funding could jeopardize that. She says at the UW Madison there has been a drop in the rankings in terms of the amount of federal research funding they are receiving. She says it is a very important resource for the economic vitality of the state. The UW Regents have requested a $42.5 million increase in funding in the state budget.