Days after The Wisconsin State Journal reported Gov. Scott Walker was considering autonomy measures for the UW System, neither state Republicans nor System officials have confirmed or denied whether that includes splitting UW-Madison from the rest of the System.
For its part, UW-Madison is not involved in any budget discussions separate from the System's, according to UW-Madison Communications Director John Lucas.
"In the current conversation, UW-Madison is not considering or being considered to leave the System on its own," Lucas said in an email Wednesday.
Walker confirmed he was considering autonomy measures for the UW System in a vague statement Tuesday, the Capitol Times reported.
“Autonomy” could refer to a few different things, according to Mike Mikalsen, staff member in the office of state Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, chair of the Senate’s higher education committee.
Mikalsen offered authority to begin building projects and set employee salaries as examples Nass would support.
It could also refer to a plan to split UW-Madison from the rest of the UW System by establishing a public authority system that would govern the university instead, he said.
“Madison has pretty consistently wanted to move to a public authority kind of model,” Mikalsen continued. “They desire the ability to have a public authority kind of model where they are off on their own. They have desired the ability to have their own governance via a board of trustees or president’s board or something like that.”
In 2011, then-Chancellor Biddy Martin advocated a similar arrangement for UW-Madison, but the initiative failed.
Members of the Governor’s party have no more insight into Walker’s budget plans than the media, Mikalsen said, but added that conversations with UW System representatives can give clues to what Wisconsin might be able to expect in Walker’s budget proposal.
“Members of [Walker’s] administration have been briefing for a couple of months UW officials on what some of the options are that he is considering and getting their input on it,” Mikalsen said.
While the UW System has not commented on these briefings, concerns from them have made their way to the ears of legislators.
“Based on the contacts from UW folks and things that they have been sharing with legislators, they certainly have concerns that these are a couple of the options that the Governor is looking at,” Mikalsen said. “Some are for it and some are against it.”
UW System officials, meanwhile, maintain strict silence about any talks they may be having with the Governor’s office.
Strategic Communications Manager for the UW System Heather LaRoi said in an email she could not comment on the budget and deferred questions to the Governor’s office, which also declined to comment.
Mikalsen suggested that if Walker’s budget proposal did include a UW-Madison split from the System, it may not enjoy wide support from the Republican party.
UW-Madison “would need to be part of the system, period,” if Nass were to vote for it, Mikalsen said, citing concerns that tuition costs would increase dramatically.
Updated 1/21/15 at 11:51 a.m.
