Following an unexpected change to the Wisconsin Idea in Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget bill, Walker said in a statement Wednesday a drafting error led to several sentences being cut.
Famous for putting heavy emphasis on research and bringing education outside the classroom, the Wisconsin Idea was portrayed in Walker’s budget bill as the mission to “meet the state’s workforce needs.” This re-write, which accompanied the hollowed basis for UW-Madison’s historical goals for education, caught the state by surprise.
The proposed system mission—to develop human resources to support Wisconsin’s workforce—was the only proposed addition to the Wisconsin Idea. The bill subtracted much of the rest of the mission, including the system’s basic search for truth and dedication to undergraduate education.
Following several statements by politicians and UW officials stating the Wisconsin Idea will continue to be a part of the university, Walker issued a statement denying the intent to erase the Idea from the bill.
“The Wisconsin Idea will continue to thrive,” Walker said in the statement. “This was a drafting error. The final version of the budget will include the Wisconsin Idea.”
UW System President Ray Cross asserted the Idea’s survival in a statement before Walker announced the mistake, declaring that he did not plan to abandon the University’s fundamental mission.
“The Wisconsin Idea is embedded in our DNA,” Cross said in the statement. “It is so much more than words on a page.”
He later thanked the governor for ensuring the preservation of key language from statutes, citing Walker’s “commitment to the Wisconsin Idea.”
Allison Nelson, a junior studying early childhood education at UW-Madison, said she was concerned by the initial changes simply because they were what she described as random and unnecessary.
“Why would you do that after 111 years, when it’s worked so well and has been shaping one of the best universities in the world?” Nelson asked.
Former UW System President Charles Van Hise, widely recognized as the founder of the Wisconsin Idea, based the university’s mission off an intent to bring the university and state government closer together, according to UW-Madison’s history behind the Idea.
