UW-Waukesha Interim Dean Opposes Separating UW-Madison from UW System

The interim UW-Waukesha dean and campus executive officer has joined 14 current and former UW Colleges deans in their opposition of separating UW-Madison from the UW System and supporting the Wisconsin Idea Partnership plan to give administrative flexibility to the entire UW System, according to a news release from the two-year college.

UW-Waukesha’s interim dean, Jane Crisler, signed the letter, which was submitted to the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee.

Here is what the letter said:

We hope you will give the Wisconsin Idea Partnership your most serious consideration. We believe it is the best way to provide all UW institutions with new management tools that will help us mitigate the effects of the proposed $250 million reduction in state funding to UW System.

We fully endorse the Wisconsin Idea Partnership and we seek your support because it will provide much needed administrative flexibility to all UW institutions that comprise our unified system, which includes UW-Madison. The Wisconsin Idea Partnership will save taxpayers’ dollars and improve UW System functioning in the areas of human resources, procurement, financial management, construction, budgeting, and tuition. The Wisconsin Idea Partnership keeps the current UW System together and focuses on preserving access, affordability, and accountability. The UW Colleges especially value maintaining access to our students to a unified system to which all of them are guaranteed transfer.

We believe, now more than ever, administrative flexibility is needed to preserve broad access to a high-quality University of Wisconsin education.