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Adhering
to a diet,
but needing to grow:
a vision for 7,500
The state of Wisconsin has a BUDGET CRISIS!
In capital letters. In bold red ink. One billion dollar’s worth.
Wisconsin residents — at least those who read their local/state section
or follow broadcast news — are hearing plenty about the deficit. Even those
who weren’t political junkies before (I’ve always been one, myself)
are catching on to the finer points of shared revenue, the Budget Reform Bill,
and the convoluted calculus of balancing competing claims for public services
against the fiscal realities of a soft economy and lagging tax revenues.
I am optimistic about our collective ability to manage this crisis. There is
no doubt, however, that our University will feel pain. As of this writing it
appears the cuts could range from $51 million to as much as $108 million slashed
from next year’s budget. The UW-Green Bay share would be as “little”
as $607,000 or as much as $2 million, somewhere between about 2 and 6 percent
of our state appropriation.
Because of the uncertainty, the Regents have had to impose a hiring freeze,
a temporary admissions freeze, and a travel freeze. Someone here had to remind
me, in fact, that the phrase “Frozen Tundra” is normally supposed
to relate to Lambeau Field, and not to UWGB.
The good news, I believe, is that a thaw will eventually occur. It is already
happening with admissions. Because of promises in support from the Senate and
Gov. McCallum, the Regents were able to lift the freeze. We at UWGB are delighted;
we are here to provide, not deny, access to higher education.
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A case for UWGB: 93% of these recent graduates
stayed in Wisconsin
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