After a year that saw drastic changes for Wisconsin public higher education, faculty governance bodies from more than half of UW System schools have cast no confidence votes to express their disappointment in System President Ray Cross and the Board of Regents.
The historically unprecedented wave of resolutions calls out Cross and the regents for failing to adequately protect tenure and academic freedom, as well as arguing they did not push back hard enough against the legislature’s multi-million dollar cuts to the system in recent years.
The UW-Madison Faculty Senate was the first group to approve such a resolution and was swiftly followed by UW-River Falls, UW-La Crosse and UW-Milwaukee, where it was passed unanimously by the roughly 300-member body.
UW-Madison sociology professor Chad Alan Goldberg wrote the initial resolution and said he had hoped that if faculty from the flagship campus made the first move, other schools would follow suit.
“I knew from my communication with colleagues at other campuses that if anything, the sense of frustration and the grievances ran deeper on other campuses than they did on the Madison campus,” Goldberg said.
It has been a tumultuous few months for those at other campuses including UW-Milwaukee, which received an elite “R1” research status this spring but draws in less private donors and out-of-state-tuition than what is needed to offset effects of funding cuts.
UW-Milwaukee history professor Rachel Buff, who is also president of the school’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said the funding shortage has contributed to fewer class offerings and advisors, among other things.
“Things are really skinny around here in terms of operating,” Buff explained. “It’s very hard for us to achieve these missions very important to the Wisconsin Idea at the incredibly low levels of funding we’re now receiving.”
System schools have been making use of networks through the AAUP and the higher education component of the American Federation of Teachers to reach faculty around the state, Buff said, and she called the spread of the no confidence votes “phenomenal.”
Goldberg said he hopes that system leadership will take the no confidence resolutions as constructive criticism and engage in a dialogue with faculty surrounding how to “do things differently” and better preserve and defend the Wisconsin Idea.
He also encouraged campus student governments to join the fight for an adequately funded UW System and the preservation of the Wisconsin Idea, saying that part of the no confidence vote was driven by the fact that budget cuts have hit students hard.
According to UW System spokesperson Alex Hummel, Cross and the regents have been traveling the system and speaking with affected parties about budget cuts and the vision for Wisconsin’s future. He said most of those meetings have included faculty leadership.
“Just making sure they’re listening,” Hummel said. “We really want to stay focused on the future. That’s where a lot of the energy is being spent.”
Hummel also spoke of a preliminary strategic plan the regents will present in August to outline priorities and goals for the system moving forward.
Although the resolutions are symbolic, Buff said they are already making changes by simply opening up conversation.
Educators are told that the state does not support the university, Buff said, but she thinks the majority of Wisconsin residents are actually deeply committed to the Wisconsin Idea, and seeing faculty act in their own defense has only increased public mobilization.
“I think we’re getting our story out there,” Buff said. “It’s been absolutely transformative, and I expect it to continue to do so.”
