Chancellor John Wiley addressed members of the Faculty Senate Monday about the contract with the Big Ten Network, implications of the 2007-'09 biennial budget and the need to help UW-Milwaukee become a great research university.
We're in better shape than we've been in a long time and I'm very optimistic,"" he said during his annual ""State of the University"" address.
Wiley praised the university's involvement with the Big Ten Network.
""This will, after a period of discomfort, prove to have been a really good decision for all the Big Ten schools,"" he said.
BTN provides a television outlet for all UW sports, Wiley said, and with the recently announced media revenue of about $2 million, the contract will directly benefit campus through libraries and need-based scholarships.
Although controversy continues over large cable providers' refusal to negotiate carriage of the BTN, Wiley predicted one of them would break soon and possibly offer the channel to customers.
Wiley also addressed the 2007-'09 biennial budget, calling it the best budget for the university in the last six years.
""There's not much by way of new money in it to do new things, but there is complete covering of all our cost to continue, which is the first time that's been true in over six years,"" he said.
He said in addition to the 5 percent pay increase recently approved by the state government for UW faculty and staff over the next two years, another pay increase could be possible.
According to Wiley, the UW System Board of Regents approved a slightly larger tuition increase than they might have if the budget had been approved earlier, creating additional revenue.
He said state and system officials are currently working on the best way to spend the extra revenue. According to Wiley, the pay plan would include faculty, but he said he was unsure how many academic staff members would be included.
""We've been able to continue to improve in all of the areas that we, the students and the public care about,"" Wiley said, despite the wait for the budget.
Wiley said the average time for completing a degree is at an all time low of 4.17 years. He also said the graduation rate has broken the 80 percent mark for the first time in history, resulting in a new target rate of 85 percent.
""These are things we're very proud of,"" he said.
Wiley said one of UW-Madison's biggest problems is in helping grow the state's economy.
""UW-Madison's self-interest depends very much on the extent to which the other campuses in this system thrive, not just survive - Milwaukee in particular,"" he said. ""UW-Milwaukee needs to be helped on a path to become as great a research university as they can become.""
""It is not the case that every dollar that goes to Milwaukee is a dollar that should have rightfully come to Madison. We can't think that way, we can't act that way, we can't advocate that way.
