MADISON – The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will hold several listening sessions this month to learn how proposed budget cuts could affect UW campuses and the communities in which they are located.
Listening sessions will be held in Eau Claire on Tuesday (March 11) and Green Bay on Thursday (March 13). Listening sessions are also planned for Stevens Point on March 25, Waukesha on March 26 and Madison on March 31. The meetings are open to the public.
UW System Board of Regents President Guy A. Gottschalk said the opportunity to hear how budget cuts will impact UW institutions is vital, because 99 cents of every state dollar the UW System receives goes directly to campuses and UW-Extension.
“We want to hear from our constituents and community representatives about the impact of past and proposed cuts on their campuses and local economies and discuss the future of the university system with them,” Gottschalk said.
Gov. Jim Doyle has proposed a $250 million cut to the UW System in the 2003-05 state budget. The governor has also proposed tuition increases to offset some of the cuts, but even if the Legislature approves the governor’s budget, the reduction to the UW System would still be $100 million.
The Eau Claire listening session will take place from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the Davies Center on the UW-Eau Claire campus. The Green Bay session will be held from 4-6 p.m. at UW-Green Bay’s University Union. Other times and locations are not yet finalized.
During the listening sessions, Gottschalk, UW System President Katharine C. Lyall and other regents will meet with invited students, parents, faculty, academic staff, campus administrators, business owners, community leaders, local elected officials, K-12 educators and UW alumni/donors for a roundtable discussion.
When available, live audio of the listening sessions will be broadcast via the Internet. The first session will be broadcast through UW-Eau Claire’s website at http://www.uwec.edu/.