UW System offers status update on its five-year strategic plan (day 1 … – University of Wisconsin System

LA CROSSE, Wis. The University of Wisconsin System today presented the Board of Regents with a broad overview of the progress on the systems five-year strategic plan since its adoption by the board last December.

UW System President Jay Rothman told Regents that the strategic plan is the systems north star and is premised on the fact that the status quo is not sustainable.

Rothman said the strategic plan is focused on addressing some of the significant challenges facing the state, including, among others, a significant shortage of workers with a four-year degree or more, shifting demographics in the state, a declining perception of the value of a college degree coupled with a decline in the participation rate of high school graduates, and the need to maintain and enhance world-class research capabilities.

If unaddressed, I believe these issues pose a significant if not existential threat to our states long-term economic viability, Rothman said.

He called Regents attention to the significant amount of overlap among various strategic objectives. This is intentional, and helps drive teamwork among our various departments, which collaboration I am pleased to say is alive and well, Rothman said.

He also noted the substantial alignment between the systemwide strategic plan and the strategic plans of individual universities. This alignment is essential because fulfillment of the systemwide plan is absolutely dependent on the efforts of our universities, which is as it should be, he said.

Rothman called on UW Systems three vice presidents Johannes Britz, senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs; Sean Nelson, vice president for Finance and Administration; and Jeff Buhrandt, vice president of University Relations to provide the Board with status updates on the plans strategic priorities. They each highlighted action items already completed as well as anticipated actions going forward.

President Rothman told the Regents that he considers the lack of significant overall investment in the UW System in the recently signed state budget a missed opportunity.

To be direct, the budget was a disappointment, and it sets back our goals of partnering with the state to meet workforce challenges, Rothman said. At a time when Wisconsin has a historic surplus, much of the legislative debate unfortunately was not about the opportunity to make a significant investment in Wisconsins most prolific talent generator to meet our states workforce needs but rather about cutting our budget because of diversity and inclusion staffing.

Rothman continued to support the UW Systems commitment to inclusivity. We are educating students from a variety of backgrounds to enter an increasingly diverse and globally competitive workforce, he said. Our employers are counting on our preparing students for a global marketplace. And our students rightfully expect to be exposed to, and learn from, a broad spectrum of cultures, ideas, and opinions.

We need to develop all the talent we can in Wisconsin, Rothman said. That is job #1 at our universities. At the same time, as I have acknowledged to the legislature, in an organization as large as ours there may be times when initiatives may stray from our primary mission of student success. We acknowledge that and will make every effort to keep our work in this space on track.

Rothman added that continuing to shrink the UW Systems budget is going to have consequences not only on the university system but more importantly those consequences will jeopardize the longer-term competitiveness of Wisconsin and its economic vibrancy.

It is profoundly serious when our universities seek an increase that was substantially less than inflation and instead face cuts that function to have us reduce our purchasing power by hundreds of millions of dollars, Rothman said. At a time when Wisconsin has a historic $7 billion surplus, it is inconceivable to me that we are not using even a portion to invest in the states best talent generator.

Rothman told Regents that the UW System will rally in the face of challenges posed by shrinking budgets. Thats the Wisconsin way, he said. There will be tough choices ahead, but we will remain student focused. And we will keep Wisconsins wellbeing front and center. But make no mistake, our ability to provide these opportunities is connected to the states willingness to invest.

In a presentation to the full Board, UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow shared keys to the universitys success in Great Partnerships, Extraordinary People.

As a chancellor, as any leader, you can have the best intentions and the brightest ideas. But none of that matters unless you have the right people in the right positions to help all of us succeed, Gow said. Just like our university would not be the same without our people, our community would not be the same without partnerships. All across the region, weve found eager partners who share our vision for building a better La Crosse and a stronger Wisconsin.

Gow highlighted two of UWLs many partners in the La Crosse area, Kwik Trip and Mayo Clinic Health System. Both play key roles in supporting the universitys workforce development efforts.

He also discussed UWLs award-winning Community Engaged Learning program, which pairs local organizations with students and faculty who are uniquely qualified to help those organizations overcome challenges.

At UWL, we recognize and embrace the important role we play in workforce development, Gow explained. And we know that industry standards are constantly changing. So its crucial for us to remain nimble and responsive in how we prepare students for their future careers.

Gow also detailed how UWLs ACCESS Center increases access to a UWL education by providing personalized accommodations for students with disabilities.

Regent President Karen Walsh provided the Board with an update on the ongoing UW-Parkside chancellor search, noting that the Search & Screen Committee is currently reviewing applications and will reconvene next week to select semi-finalist candidates to interview later this summer.

The Search & Screen Committee, led by Regent Kyle Weatherly as chair and Professor Adrienne Viramontes as co-chair, will then recommend a slate of candidates to the Special Regent Committee who will select finalists to continue the process.

Its anticipated the search process will conclude before the Boards next regular meeting in early October.

President Walsh also shared her own experience as a first-generation college student and how it influences her understanding of diversity. As a young woman from a small farming community, it was very daunting to come to a large university, she said, and the support she and other first-generation students received from people on campus focused on making all students feel included was vitally important. We need to make sure we understand that diversity is broader than what most of us consider, she said.

In addition to reflections on the budget, President Rothman in his regular report to the Board said the UW Systems legal team has been working with UW universities for months to prepare for the U.S. Supreme Courts recent final decision on the use of race in admissions decisions.

Our analysis of the implications of this decision will be ongoing, he said. However, we have already established resources to address questions and to provide guidance, as needed, to our universities on this matter.

Rothman also shared a brief video highlighting Its Just Coffee, his informal gatherings with students to encourage more open and robust sharing of ideas and civil discourse.

Since arriving at the UW System just over a year ago, I have had the pleasure of speaking with hundreds of students and I continue to be so impressed. Theyre smart, theyre enthusiastic, and theyre brimming with ideas to make the world better, Rothman said.

Events have been held at four campuses to date (Eau Claire, Milwaukee, Oshkosh and Platteville) and will resume in the fall.

Watch Its Just Coffee video

Rothman also reminded Regents that the UW System continues to have noteworthy accomplishments. He noted that UW-Eau Claire was recently honored with a third-place award for Engaged University of the Year by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities. UW-Eau Claire was the only finalist from North America for this international award, which honors universities that inspire innovation, collaboration, and positive change in their communities.

Rothman told Regents that Wisconsins Department of Public Instruction recently announced its five winners of the states Teacher of the Year honors. He said he was proud to note that all five of these teachers completed some aspect of their licensure program at a UW institution. Between undergraduate and masters degrees, this years winners came through UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Milwaukee, UW Oshkosh, and UW-River Falls.

UW System awarded over 3,500 education degrees in 2021-22, the highest number since 2008-09, Rothman said. He added that UW System institutions produced 76% of all graduates who could fill jobs as elementary, middle, secondary and special education teaching positions in the state.

Vice President for Finance and Administration Sean Nelson provided an informational update on the FY24 Annual Operating Budget for UW System. The UW budget is informed by the provisions of the state budget bill which include a $32 million GPR reduction being held for release upon approval of the Joint Finance Committee; $21 million in cost-to-continue funding for prior year pay plan and fringe benefit expenses; and pay plan increases of 4% and 2% respectively over the next two years.

With the state budget bill having been signed just this week, the Boards approval of the UW annual budget will be deferred while the Finance team finalizes the details of a proposal for the Boards consideration at a future date to be determined.

The Education Committee approved the modification of the UW System undergraduate application fee structure. The resolution maintains the current application fee of $0 for new undergraduate admission, signaling the UW Systems commitment to educational access for all students. After three free applications, subsequent applications will incur a $25 fee.

UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, and UW-Madison will continue to charge undergraduate applicants their current fees of $25, $25, and $70, respectively. All institutions can still waive application fees for students who meet the conditions of financial hardship.

The existing waiver of application fees at UW institutions has significantly increased the number of applications at UW institutions and led to smaller declines in freshman enrollment than seen during the same time period nationwide. At the same time, for many institutions, the influx of additional applications has introduced significant challenges in determining where to direct scarce resources to maximize yield. It is expected that reducing the number of free applications will help students to be more focused on the schools they are most interested in attending, and thus help universities better target their time and resources to improve yield.

The Capital Planning & Budget Committee approved UW-Madisons request for authority to increase the budget of the Veterinary Medicine Addition and Renovation project by $24,000,000 for a revised estimated total project cost of $152,103,000.

This project constructs a new three-story building just north of the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) between Observatory and Linden Drives. The new facility will provide space for the small animal clinic and connect it to the existing clinic; construct new research, animal biosafety level 3, and biosafety level 2 and 3 laboratories; and include new offices, conference rooms, and shared collaboration/interaction spaces to support the teaching hospital. The clinical space will be expanded to increase access to the small and large animal isolation suites that are required to meet accreditation standards, increase the quantity of specialized surgery environments and equipment, provide imaging space for horses and cattle, and separate patient access to medical oncology services.

The scope for this project has been revised to include an upgrade to the existing BSL-3 lab. The pandemic related challenges of the past three years highlighted the importance of high quality, secure biological research laboratories at UW-Madison. The renovation portion of this project provides an opportunity for SVM to upgrade an existing BSL-3 laboratory to modern standards to meet the need for biological research facilities conducting critical and timely research on airborne diseases, such as COVID-19.

UW System Chief Compliance Officer Paige Smith provided the Audit Committee with an overview of its plans to initiate the UW System Risk, Compliance, and Audit (RCA) Pilot Program during the 2023-24 academic year.

The Office of Compliance and Risk Management has developed a new risk assessment approach that will enhance and improve the manner, method, and timeline under which UW System and its universities identify, assess, and mitigate high-level risks. The pilot program will create a standardized and consistent process at the university levels for conducting consistent and informative risk assessments. It will encourage universities to engage in regular and updated discussions to stay aware of their risks that could impact their universities.

The UW System Board of Regents will continue its meeting at 8:45 a.m., July 7, 2023, at UW-La Crosse.

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UW System offers status update on its five-year strategic plan (day 1 ... - University of Wisconsin System