This post originally appeared at https://wisconsindailystar.com/news/university-of-wisconsin-president-school-must-move-forward-despite-financial-issues/tcsquare/2023/08/24/

by Benjamin Yount

The president at the University of Wisconsin says the challenge now is to deal with the school’s financial challenges.

UW President Jay Rothman told university regents there’s been plenty of attention paid to the university’s deficits and diversity, equity and inclusion budget cuts. Now, though, the job is to find answers.

“Our focus now has to be on how to move forward from here,” Rothman (pictured above) said.

The Republican-controlled legislature withheld $32 million in DEI money from the university in the new state budget.

The UW’s chief finance officer told Regents he will deliver a plan later this fall to recoup half of that money by focusing on engineering, data, science and nursing programs.

But that may not be enough.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has said for months he wants the UW System to eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts before he will consider returning the $32 million.

“Let’s hope these campuses start by eliminating their unnecessary (diversity, equity and inclusion) positions,” Vos said after UW-Parkside and UW-Platteville announced furloughs earlier this week. “It would be a first step in showing they’re serious about cutting wasteful spending, shoring up their deficits, and working with the Legislature to develop sustainable long-term funding solutions.”

Ten of the UW’s 13 campuses are projected to have structural deficits by the end of the next school year,

Rothman said that is unacceptable and must change.

“Our goal is to stabilize our universities financially so that they continue their mission to educate students who, as a result of their educational journey, will not only transform their own lives and the lives of their families, but also Wisconsin and the world,” Rothman said.

The UW System’s total budget will top $7.5 billion over the next two years. That includes a $174 million increase from both state lawmakers and students through a 4% tuition increase. The university is also looking at double-digit, or near-double-digit spending increase on its 13 campuses because of inflation and pay raises.

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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Jay Rothman” by Jay Rothman. Background Photo “University of Wisconsin Campus” by Phil Roeder. CC BY 2.0.

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