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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 10/2/07 |
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In
the News Archive - Year: Comments from Jay L. Smith, President, Board of Regents Jay L. Smith, President, UW Board of Regents:
"We are pleased that Governor McCallum recognized the positive role the University of Wisconsin System is playing in the state's economy and we appreciate his efforts to minimize the impact of state budget cuts on the university.
"These are tough times and the university must do its share in helping the state to balance the budget.
"At the same time, this is a substantial reduction on top of cuts we have already taken this fiscal year. President Lyall and I will be consulting extensively with our Regents and Chancellors on what options we have for meeting these cuts.
"It is important to remember that the effect of these cuts will be felt in our campus communities, where UW institutions serve as major employers and economic engines.
"We feel it is important to keep our momentum going and to continue implementing our state economic stimulus package. We will do as much of that as we can but we may have to make some modifications in light of these budget numbers.
"We want to contribute to the state's economic recovery and we trust that as the state's income improves, these cuts will be restored so that we can remain affordable and accessible, and serve the state in a stronger role when it comes to economic development and workforce supply."
"As a businessman, I have had to wrestle with tough choices during economic downturns. But I have always made such decisions with an eye toward what will help the company grow and prosper in the long run. If the Governor and legislators do the same, we are confident that they will continue to invest in the UW System."
Katharine C. Lyall, President, University of Wisconsin-System: "As the Governor and several state legislators have said, a budget is a statement of priorities. We appreciate the Governor's acknowledgement that the university -- and education in general -- are a priority for this state. We must not only meet the immediate challenge of the deficit, but strengthen our ability to compete economically in the future. "Governor McCallum has done his best, I believe, to protect the university from the harshest cuts and we appreciate that very much. "He has proposed a strategy for closing the state budget gap and there are several other proposals on the table as well. We anticipate that there will some discussion and debate before final solutions are reached. The university wants to play a supportive and positive role in that process. "For every dollar that the state invests in our campuses, it gets three dollars worth of programs and services and a quality education for more than 100,000 Wisconsin residents. We bring more than $700 million in federal money into the state annually and raise hundreds of millions more from private sources. "We must not do anything to jeopardize our capacity to generate those returns for the state and for our campus communities. "At the same time, this is a sizeable cut to our base and we will be faced with some tough choices. They come at the end of a decade in which we have already absorbed $55 million in state cuts so this won't be an easy task. We aren't prepared yet to say how we will meet the cuts but we must do so carefully. "It would be helpful to us if final decision on the state budget come sooner rather than later as we are in the process of admitting students and hiring faculty for the fall semester. "We have pledged to go forward with our work on state economic development and we will do what we can though some of the pieces may go more slowly. The legislature has strongly supported the work that our campuses are doing in this arena and we hope they will continue to do so. "Our campuses are poised to invest in a substantial way in local and regional economic development. We are creating new programs, increasing capacity to train students in high demand areas, creating jobs and stimulating new partnerships.
"It seems to me that this is just what the state needs to get back on its feet and that is why the Governor's proposal takes a somewhat smaller percentage cut from the university. We look forward to working with him and with state legislators as this process moves forward to preserve Wisconsin's long-term economic base."
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