Government Relations
Washington Wire
May 2003
Note: University Relations is pleased to present the inaugural edition of Washington Wire. We hope you find this occasional e-newsletter to be a useful tool as the University of Wisconsin System forges new relationships and strengthens partnerships at the federal level. Please send any questions, suggestions or contributions to washingtonwire@uwsa.edu. Thank you for your feedback.
In This Edition
- System News: UW System offers input toward Higher Education Act Reauthorization
- Building Partnerships: UW reception celebrates alumni in Washington, D.C.
- State Budget: Governor's budget includes largest cuts ever faced by UW System
SYSTEM NEWS
UW System offers input toward Higher Education Act reauthorization
UW System President Katharine C. Lyall has formally recommended to Congress that the federal government should expand financial aid for students in need, strengthen partnerships to increase teacher quality and look to institutions of higher education and states for accountability measures.
The proposals were among several suggested by a UW System Federal Relations Council task force charged with developing recommendations as Congress begins to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, which provides federal funding for postsecondary education.
The 20-member task force included members from nearly every UW System campus and UW-Extension. UW officials also met with U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R-Fond du Lac), and U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-La Crosse), both members of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Education and the Workforce.
In her letter, Lyall asked the Committee to hold a field hearing in Wisconsin focusing on accountability measures and to consider using the university's process to measure accountability as a model for the nation. At its inception, the UW System's Accountability Report, titled "Achieving Excellence," was the first of its kind nationally for a public university system.
The task force's financial aid recommendations include increasing funding for the Pell Grant and work-study programs; raising the limit of the federal Stafford loan; and streamlining financial aid applications. The recommendations also call for amending federal law to allow each two-year campus of the UW Colleges to receive funding from the student support services portion of the TRIO program.
* Read President Lyall's letter and detailed recommendations.
Lyall expresses concern on proposed federal tuition standards
UW System President Katharine C. Lyall has said a federal plan proposed in Congress that would attempt to control rising tuition costs could force the UW System to reduce access, forego tuition increases to offset cuts in the state budget, or eventually diminish quality.
The proposal by Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.) would create a "College Affordability Index" to prevent college tuition and fees from increasing beyond reasonable rates. McKeon's plan would require institutions that increase costs by twice the rate of inflation to report to the Department of Education on plans to reduce tuition increases in the future.
In addition, McKeon's proposal stipulates that if the increase is not sufficiently reduced within a one-year period, universities may be subject to sanctions, including ineligibility for some government funding.
In a letter to McKeon last month, Lyall said the proposal may lead universities to increase tuition as much as allowed in preparation for economic downturns, or instead, may force universities to compromise on quality, she said.
"We, too, are concerned about pricing students out of higher education and about our capacity to maintain the high access rate of which we are so proud," Lyall wrote. "Nevertheless, our ability to preserve our long-run capacity to serve students and the state depends on how the state legislature manages the state budget, on the size of our 2003-05 cuts, and any offsetting tuition revenues."
The proposal could also create unnecessary, expensive and burdensome reporting processes for universities, she said.
Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act is scheduled to take place later this year.
UW-Stevens Point ranks among top comprehensive universities for international study
Members of the UW System Board of Regents focused on international education as part of the board's May meeting at UW-Stevens Point.
The UW System has proposed that by 2010, 25 percent of its graduates will have experience studying abroad. In a presentation to the committee, three UWSP administrators and one student addressed how internationalizing at the university has given 14.2 percent of its graduates experience studying abroad and rated UWSP within the top 20 comprehensive universities for international study.
"Studying abroad is the best investment a student can make," said Dave Staszak, director of international programs at UWSP.
Since 1969, more than 10,000 UWSP students and 270 faculty members have traveled abroad, and a recent campaign for an International Programs Endowment Scholarship has raised $135,000 for needy students.
The UWSP Division of Interior Architecture has integrated international study as part of the curriculum because their graduates do design work all over the world, according to its chair, Kathleen Stumpf. More than 50 percent of the division's students study abroad, thanks to the encouragement of faculty and students who have traveled and share their experiences.
In addition to facing the challenges of increasing anxiety about world travel, especially from parents, study abroad programs are facing increased costs while, at the same time, facing a weaker economy, Staszak said. An increase in funding and scholarships is needed to bring up the percentage of UW System students studying abroad, he said.
"We can't afford to not invest in this," said Regent and State Supt. of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster of Madison, who added that international studies should be a focus for preschoolers through college students. "An understanding of world culture and global studies are the skills the next generation needs to be world citizens."
Having foreign students at UWSP has also created inter-cultural relationships both on campus and in the community, said Marcus Fang, director of the foreign students office. Long-lasting relationships are built through the host family program, he said, and significant learning takes place out of the classroom when foreign students participate in and coordinate events such as the annual International Dinner and Portage County Cultural Festival.
In other regent news:
UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Thomas F. George updated members of the Board of Regents about progress on the Global Environmental Management (GEM) Education Center. Campus officials say it will be a world-class, 100,000-square-foot facility costing $66 million over the next 10 years.
The majority of funding has come from grants from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and federal sources, as well as substantial gifts through the UWSP Foundation. Chancellor George expressed his gratitude to U.S. Rep. Dave Obey, D-Wausau, for assistance with federal funding for GEM. George said the campus still has to decide where to locate the facility.
* Learn more about the Board of Regents May meeting on the UW System News and Events website.
UW studies find college degree improves financial, social well-being
Two recent UW studies have found that earning a college degree brings a person immediate and long-term financial and social benefits, and can even have a positive effect on a graduate's health.
The studies, produced by the UW System's Office of Policy Analysis and Research and UW-Madison's Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, respectively, have gained statewide and national attention, and are scheduled to be highlighted this week on SallieMae's "Newslink."
* Learn more about the studies on the UW System's News and Events website.
Building Partnerships
UW reception celebrates alumni in Washington, D.C.
More than 200 attendees braved a major snowstorm early this year to celebrate the University of Wisconsin and its alumni at a reception on Capitol Hill.
The crowd included Washington-area UW alumni, elected officials and staff, including U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison), U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-La Crosse), U.S. Rep. Mark Green (R-Green Bay), and U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Menomonee Falls), as well as many others with an interest in Wisconsin’s university system and the future of higher education.
Distinguished guests at the reception included Ambassador Thomas Loftus; Milton Coleman, Deputy Managing Editor of The Washington Post; Bill Murat, Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Baldwin; and Brigadier General Sandra A. Gregory, USAF; all of whom are alumni of the UW System, among others.
UW System President Katharine C. Lyall thanked Wisconsin's Congressional delegation for representing the vital interests of the state and its colleges and universities, and Sen. Kohl thanked UW alumni for their positive contributions on behalf of the delegation.
The reception also included a ceremony honoring U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson with the National 4-H Alumni Award in recognition of his exceptional citizenship and exemplary service to the people of his state and his nation.
* Read more and see photos from the event in the Spring 2003 online edition of Wisconsin Ideas.
STATE BUDGET
Governor's budget includes largest cuts ever faced by UW System
Gov. Jim Doyle's proposed budget calls for unprecedented cuts to the UW System that would affect administration, research, instruction and community service, presenting a substantial challenge for the UW System and its students, according to UW System President Katharine C. Lyall.
Doyle's budget calls for a $250 million reduction to the UW System in the 2003-05 biennial budget. The reduction is equivalent to 38 percent of the total cuts in state spending included in the governor's budget, even though the UW System accounts for just 9 percent of the state budget.
The governor's budget allows for the cuts to be partially offset through increases in tuition. The proposed offset, if approved by the Legislature, would equal $50 million in 2003-04 and $100 million in 2004-05, but these additional revenues would still leave the UW System with a $100 million budget cut.
The governor's budget includes $23.6 million in funding for financial aid increases for UW-Wisconsin Higher Education Grants, Lawton grants, and the Advanced Opportunity Program. The additional financial aid would come from UW System auxiliary reserves.
Lyall has said that it is important to the UW System that cuts to the university budget go no deeper than the governor’s budget; that the Board of Regents be authorized to raise tuition to levels proposed by the governor to ensure access and quality; and that financial aid increases be preserved and permanent funding sources for financial aid be identified.
* Visit the UW System Budget Update Web site for more details on the governor's proposal.
Campus News
EPA honors UW-Oshkosh for efforts to 'think green'
The Environmental Protection Agency has honored UW-Oshkosh with a Green Power Purchaser Award for efforts to use renewable energy and work toward a 'greener' campus.
With the award, UW-Oshkosh became the 10th university in the nation and the first in Wisconsin to join the EPA's Green Power Partnership. The award recognizes the campus's commitment to buy renewable energy produced within the state and to use energy from wind and biomass sources.
Other campus environmental efforts include adopting the Earth Charter, which encourages restrained and efficient energy use, and hosting Earth Charter Community Summits, an international event where experts and citizens are invited to discuss the environment, world hunger, democracy and peace and non-violence.
The university has also established the UW System's only environmental studies major with a fully interdisciplinary curriculum.
* Read the news release from UW-Oshkosh.
Events
- Mark your calendars for Wisconsin Economic Summit IV! This year's event will be held at the Midwest Airlines Center in Milwaukee on October 27-28, 2003.
- Come Explore Nanotechnology! UW-Madison will host the Inaugural Technical Conference and Public Expo on Nanotechnology: Nano All Around Us. The event will be held May 30-31, at the campus Engineering Centers Building.
- Connect with Wisconsin's tech-transfer leaders at the Wisconsin Small Business Innovation Consortium’s 20th Anniversary Wisconsin Technology Awards Conference & Banquet on June 19, 2003. Visit the SBIC website to learn more about the event.
Questions or Comments?
E-mail us at washingtonwire@uwsa.edu or contact Kris Andrews, Federal Relations Coordinator, UW System.