Gov. Jim Doyle spoke to the UW System Board of Regents Thursday addressing impending state budget problems that he said will sharply affect the UW System.
\The budget I will present will be tough on universities,"" Doyle said.
Doyle did not offer specific implications of the budget problems.
""We don't know what the full scope is or how long it will be,"" he said. ""It's really too early to tell.""
Nevertheless, Doyle did offer some probable effects of budget cuts.
He said education is his leading priority and he knows the importance of the UW System to the state's economy.
Though Doyle promised during his campaign that tuition increases for next year would not exceed 10 percent, when asked about this Thursday, Doyle skirted the issue. Instead, Doyle stressed the bargain Wisconsin residents have with the UW System.
""We will still be one of the best deals in public universities,"" Doyle said.
Furthermore, he said he is committed to making the UW System accessible to all qualified students regardless of their economic situation.
Doyle said he will be more precise when he makes his budget proposal Feb. 18.
The regents were also presented with a report Thursday showing that the UW System met only 11 of its 20 goals, in various areas of campus life for this year. The report, which tracks the accountability of UW System schools, has been presented annually since 1993.
Last year, the report indicated that 13 goals were met. The UW System's failure to meet more goals this year was affected by budget cuts, according to Frank Goldberg, associate vice president of policy analysis and research for the UW System.
Of the 20 goals assessed by the system this year, seven presented mixed results.
""Seven measures show mixed progress: access gap for students to work on faculty-guided research, satisfaction with technical computing skills learned in school, education for voting and maintenance backlogs,"" UW System President Katharine Lyall told the regents.
Lyall said study abroad opportunities lag in the UW System. According to the accountability report, less than nine percent of bachelor's degree recipients studied abroad, though the system's goal was 25 percent.
Additionally, increasing students' understanding of racial/ethnic differences needs vast improvement, according to Lyall.
The goals remaining from last year will continue despite further budget cuts expected in the near future, according to Goldberg.
""The Board is going to have to make some decisions about how the budget cuts are implemented,"" he said.
