Without significant tuition hikes for resident students, the UW System will be \on a path to fiscal emergency,"" UW System Board of Regents President Guy Gottschalk said Wednesday.
UW System President Katharine Lyall concurred with Gottschalk as she proposed ways for the System to handle the budget blows dealt by Gov. Jim Doyle Tuesday night.
Lyall said Doyle's suggested $250 million budget cut for the UW System will likely mean a tuition increase of a maximum $350, as proposed by Doyle, per semester for the next academic year for in-state UW-Madison students.
UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley said he supports these tuition increases, citing the financial conundrum that will be created otherwise.
""It is critical that tuition be increased to substantially offset the reduction in state funding,"" he said.
Implementing the proposed maximum tuition increases would place the UW System's resident tuition just below average for Big Ten schools, according to Lyall.
However, even with the increases, Lyall said the UW System will still need to compensate for a $100 million deficit.
Gottschalk said this shortage will be difficult for the UW System to handle.
""Even with tuition increases, the University System will be left with a yawning hole in its budget,"" he said. ""And there are no easy ways to close this gap.""
Lyall said the cuts are ""unprecedented in their magnitude"" and as a result, no university program will be immune to potential budget cuts.
Wiley said he agreed that UW-Madison programs would suffer as a result of budget cuts.
""We will be forced to eliminate some academic programs and services,"" he said.
However, Lyall said she hopes to protect classroom instruction as much as possible.
Lyall said UW System schools should already have plans to combat budget cuts because such cuts were expected.
""The university has always expected to be a part of the solution to this [budget] problem,"" she said. ""We are more than paying our fair share in this.""
However, Lyall said Doyle intends to increase financial aid and called this increase the ""bright spot"" of Doyle's financial plan.
UW-Madison freshman Kristina Antic said she disagreed with Lyall. Antic said the proposed financial aid increases will come from university funds and as a result, will minimize funding to other programs.
Associated Students of Madison Chair Bryan Gadow said he knows budget cuts mean tuition hikes, but thinks a 15 percent tuition increase for in-state students is unacceptable.
""We draw the line at an eight percent tuition increase,"" he said.
UW-Madison graduate student Keith Thompson said he thinks the Colleges of Engineering, School of Medicine, Life Sciences and School of Education should not take budget cuts because they produce workers that help the economy of Wisconsin.
""Engineers and scientists create jobs and generate revenue. Liberal arts and humanities majors do not,"" he said. ""The priorities of the university must reflect this reality.\
