MADISON – The Universities of Wisconsin presented the Board of Regents on Friday its annual report on the UWs’ ongoing commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression.
“Freedom of expression is a concept that is deeply woven into the fabric of academia and – like many of our counterparts across the country – we’ve seen and heard some of these ideas challenged over the past year,” said UWs President Jay Rothman. “Clearly, there are a lot of passionate opinions on all sides of so many contentious issues that are demanding to be heard.”
But freedom of expression by necessity requires people to sometimes be exposed to speech with which they disagree, he added. “The solution to that challenge is more speech – and not a reversion to limiting what is said and by whom.”
“At the same time, that does not mean that freedom of expression is a free license to say whatever one wants without reaction or consequence,” Rothman said.
To open discussion, several panel participants shared how their UW universities are putting principles into practice.
Susan Webb Yackee, director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Collins-Bascom professor of Public Affairs at UW-Madison, told Regents about the school’s Main Street Agenda project which aims to bring people together across the political spectrum to practice civil dialogue. Over the past year, the project has included town halls and several dinner conversation events around the state.
Yackee said these events are places where people could listen with open minds, not being interested in changing other people’s minds or positions but leaving more connected and understanding the views of others.
She said the La Follette School is also actively planning a new undergraduate major in public policy to prepare students to tackle shared policy problems.
Michael Gilmer, the interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs & Strategic Enrollment and Dean of Students, Student Affairs and Strategic Enrollment at UW-River Falls, spoke about the workshops and other sessions held on campus where students learn how to communicate with one another despite differences in opinions.
Gilmer said it’s recognized that “what they learn while they’re in college and their engagement with others is also what drives them to be engaged citizens outside of the campus. We recognize there’s value in that connection.”
Mike Lueder, director of the Center for Civic and Community Engagement at UW-Oshkosh, told Regents about various on-campus efforts including a free speech class and other events. He noted the eager engagement of students. “They stayed and continued talking for an hour after the speakers finished,” he said.
Eric Giordano, executive director of the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy & Service (WIPPS), which is part of the UWs, told Regents that the UWs have put forward a budget request for the next biennium that includes $2.5 million dedicated to civic engagement. The funds would be used to dramatically expand their grant award program to distribute $1 million back to the universities for innovative projects related to freedom of expression and civil dialogue.
Giordano also noted that WIPPS will be renamed the Office of Civic Engagement (OCE) in early 2025. He said this will link the UWs to a national movement centered on best practices for teaching and learning, often referred to as “civic engagement and democratic learning.”
The Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship and Civil Dialogue (WICCD), meanwhile, helps to develop resources, training programs, and events to supplement the efforts at UW universities to promote freedom of expression and civil discourse on campuses. It has awarded $180,000 to 14 projects at nine UW universities to date, Giordano said.
Several Regents noted the difficulty in gauging the actual reach and impact of these efforts.
Giordano said he, too, is concerned with how to tell if such work is making a difference. “How are we measuring whether or not we’re achieving change?” he asked. “I think this is really critical. We need to measure and evaluate. And funding is critical to follow through.”
Regent Héctor Colón noted that the reported positive responses from students to efforts to develop civil dialogue in the face of differences between them sends a clear message and reinforces the need to continue. “This is about a sense of belonging,” he said.
Rothman noted that all 13 UW universities now have training modules around freedom of expression and the principles of civil dialogue, and such discussions are part of freshman orientation. “When you get people together and interacting, that’s where you promote that (sense of) inclusion, the civil dialogue, and that’s where we need to get to,“ he said.
Regent Joan Prince urged others to “think of creative and innovative ways that faculty across our institutions can get involved” to help amplify the reach of their efforts.
Rothman said the UWs want to have graduates who are culturally fluent and able to compete in a global environment. “They will run into people who see the world very differently than they do. How do you adapt to that? How are you flexible? How do you listen? How do you engage? I think civil dialogue is part of that,” he said.
Regents honor departing colleague
The Regents presented a resolution of appreciation to Regent Evan Brenkus for his service. Brenkus, who has represented UW students during his time on the Board, has served since May 2023. He will be graduating from UW-Green Bay later this month.
Brenkus said he offered “heartfelt thanks” for the opportunity of serving on the board. “My growth as a person has been exponential and my experiences on the board are invaluable,” he said. He also thanked colleagues for being so “welcoming, kind, and encouraging.”
In other business, the Regents:
- Approved the UW Program Revenue Balances Report for fiscal year 2024;
- Approved UW-Madison’s proposal to adjust tuition rates for each of the next two academic years for certain graduate and professional degree programs including law, doctor of medicine, health professional programs, and doctor of veterinary medicine;
- Approved UW-La Crosse’s request for a Bachelor of Science in Data Science;
- Approved UW-La Crosse’s request for a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics’
- Approved UW-Madison’s request for a Master of Science in Animal and Dairy Sciences;
- Approved UW-Madison’s request for a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Animal and Dairy Sciences;
- Approved UW-Madison’s request for a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Science Communication;
- Approved UW-Milwaukee’s request for a Bachelor of Science in Engineering;
- Approved UW-Oshkosh’s request for a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Business Analytics;
- Approved UW-Stout’s request for a Master of Science in Applied Computer Science;
- Approved UW System’s request for authority to make budget adjustments for the UW-Eau Claire Science/Health Science Building, UW-Whitewater Winther Hall/Heide Hall, UW-Madison New Engineering, UW-Stout Heritage Hall, and UW-System All Agency Small Projects, and authority to construct UW-Madison New Engineering and UW-Whitewater Winther Hall/Heide Hall;
- Approved UW-Oshkosh’s request for authority to sell a .675-acre parcel of land with improvements located at 717 West Irving Avenue, Oshkosh;
- Approved UW System’s request for authority to construct three 2023-25 Classroom Renovation/ Instructional Technology Improvement Program Projects:
- At UW-Green Bay, the Studio Arts Fourth Floor Visual Arts Laboratory Renovations project;
- At UW-Madison, the Steenbock Library Active Learning Space Renovation project;
- At UW-Oshkosh, the Arts & Communication Center Music Hall Renovation project;
- Approved UW System’s request for authority to construct 15 All Agency maintenance and repair projects:
- At UW-Madison, there are eight All Agency projects: (1) A Camp Randall Stadium winterization project; (2) The Parking Ramp 75 HVAC Equipment Renovation project; (3) Parking Ramps 6 and 46 Structural Repairs project; (4) The Social Science Building Curtain Wall Replacement project; (5) The Vilas Communication Hall Accessibility Renovation project; (6) The Dayton and Mills Street Chilled Water Values Replacement project; (7) The University Ridge Irrigation System Replacement project; (8) The Multi-Building ROTC Life Safety Renovations project.
- At UW-Eau Claire, the Hibbard Hall/McIntyre Library Emergency Generator Replacement project;
- At UW-Milwaukee, there are two All Agency projects. (1) The Curtain Hall Exterior Envelope Maintenance & Repair project; (2) The Northwest Quadrant (NWQ) Stormwater Management project;
- At UW-Stout, there are two All Agency projects. (1) The Fryklund Hall, Micheels Hall/Swanson Library Roof Replacements; (2) The Sorensen Hall Fire Protection & Fire Alarm Systems Replacements project;
- At UW-La Crosse, the Steam & Condensate Utility Replacement project;
- At UW-River Falls, the Heating Plant Electrical Distribution Replacement project;
- Approved UW System’s request for authority to construct a minor facilities renewal project, the Williams Fieldhouse Exterior Envelope Maintenance & Repairs at UW-Platteville;
- Approved UW-Madison’s request for authority to complete design and construct the Lakeshore Nature Preserve Frautschi Center project;
- Approved UW-Madison’s request for authority to complete design and construct the Campuswide Access Controls project; and
- Approved an update to the Office of Internal Audit Charter.
The Board of Regents will next meet on February 6-7, 2025, at UW-Madison.