It’s been over 100 years since former Republican Gov. Robert La Follette led the progressive charge to reform Wisconsin and ultimately created a lasting progressive tradition. Now another Republican governor is in the driver's seat, but this time is paving the road for a new conservative tradition.
Headed by Gov. Scott Walker, with Republicans in control of both chambers of the state Legislature and President Donald Trump coloring the purple state a rich shade of red for the first time since 1984, Wisconsin has shed its progressive title and donned a conservative one.
The cherished Wisconsin Idea, though no longer directly related to its progressive origin, still shows the impact that Wisconsin’s political history continues to have on society and government today.
Education at basis of progressive nature
In a historical context, the definition of the Wisconsin Idea is the UW System’s direct contributions to the state. Faculty assist the government in the form of serving in office, collaborating with legislators on public policy, offering expertise and helping to solve problems for citizens of the state through community outreach.
Recognition of the importance of education laid the groundwork for the Wisconsin Idea in the early 1900s. Charles McCarthy, the first UW professor to be appointed to the head of UW’s legislative council, worked to ensure the university and government collaborated. The thought was if the state was going to invest large amounts of money in a world-class university, the Capitol should use the resources in their backyard to solve Wisconsin’s challenges.
Innovation that came out of the university through the Wisconsin Idea also translated into national policy goals. One example of this was when Edwin Witte, a university professor staffing the Wisconsin legislature, helped President Franklin D. Roosevelt plan Social Security.
In terms of turning knowledge and research gathered at the university into real life solutions, the progressive tradition lives on in the now-conservative state. Innovation coming out of the university, however, largely encompasses economic issues rather than tackling social challenges.
Part of the Wisconsin Idea includes fueling the state’s economy. In order to benefit the economy, citizens must be educated to protect Wisconsin's status as an economically competitive state.
In districts with medical complexes such as the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, medical research and cures pour out of the university and into the community and economy.
“We’re still seeing a lot of innovation come out of the university system ... that says how do we take what was done in a petri dish in a lab in Madison and turn that into a viable enterprise that isn’t just about making money, it’s about pouring those resources back into the community,” said state Rep. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield. “That ultimately help[s] the average citizen with whatever that medical issue or whatever that cure may be.”
Sometimes medical cures reach the national or even the global level.
“We’re still seeing the lineage and the legacy of what that progressive mindset was back 100 years ago with the university system,” Hutton said.
A budget not about the past, but the future
When Walker tried to rewrite the definition of the Wisconsin Idea in his last budget from expanding knowledge outside the confines of a classroom to “meet the state’s workforce needs,” along with a $250 million funding cut to the UW System, he was met with fierce opposition. The universities staggered through the tuition cut but held onto their distinctive principle.
In Feburary, Walker introduced his 2017-’19 biennium budget which championed student success, rewarding work and accountable government. The governor proposed investing over $105 million in the UW System in the form of a 5 percent tuition cut with $35 million to cover costs, $42.5 million in performance-based funding and $10 million in need-based financial aid.
Although funding levels are not directly tied to the Wisconsin Idea, Walker is reflecting the importance of education in his investment choices.
“If there’s anything we’re doing in terms of innovation, and I think the governor leads on, is ensuring that we are listening to the marketplace and that we are aligning our education system so our young people, whether they’re sophomores in high school or sophomores in college, are being aligned to where the jobs are today,” Hutton said. “Those need to go hand in hand because our education system is about the economy and the direct correlation to jobs and job readiness, at the end of the day, need to be paramount.”
Political science professor and department chair David Canon explained that budgets and funding levels are not connected to the Wisconsin Idea because the community outreach faculty perform is done on their own time.
One cut that could potentially directly affect outreach capability is the recent cut to the UW Extension, a service that promotes statewide access to university resources by having faculty work closely with other Wisconsinites.
Democrats in the state Legislature do not feel the same way about Walker’s investments in K-12 funding and the university, going as far as saying Walker does not promote the Wisconsin Idea.
“[Walker’s] been gutting public education and now he adds a few dollars with strings attached because it’s an election year,” said state Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, “He’s been going three steps backward, maybe one step forward for election year.”
Risser is the longest serving state senator in the U.S. With 60 years under his belt, Risser has worked with 12 different governors, six Democrats and six Republicans.
Risser believes Walker’s 2011 budget was based not on the Wisconsin Idea or traditions but on what Walker thought would sell nationally for his presidential run and that his current budget precedes a re-election run.
The senator agrees with the belief of Charles Van Hise, UW’s president from 1903 to 1918, that university research should be applied to solve state problems to improve health and quality of life, environment and agriculture. For Risser, the Wisconsin Idea is a deep, solid conviction that the role of government is to assist the greatest number of people it can.
“The first 11 governors up until this one, whether they were Democratic or Republican, I think promoted to a greater or lesser degree what we call the Wisconsin Idea,” Risser said. “They paid attention to the environment, improving health and quality of life in the state.”
“Quite frankly, the current administration isn’t promoting the Wisconsin Idea,” Risser said.
Walker's office did not reply to multiple requests for comment.
Differing interpretations
The Wisconsin Idea is held near and dear to many people. As a result, many people interpret the idea differently.
For Canon, it is that professors at UW have a mission to serve the state broadly, help facilitate policy making with the state, work on government commission, and perhaps most importantly, engage in outreach to the rest of the state.
“I get random phone calls from people around the state that want to call up and talk about something about Wisconsin politics ... they should be able to just do that as a taxpayer, just pick up the phone and talk to some professor about what’s going on and we should be able to tell them,” Canon said. “To me, that really shows we are reaching the people of the state to some extent. It really is a part of how we see our mission reaching the rest of the state.”
State Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, also believes that the Wisconsin Idea is bigger than faculty and government corresponding, and needs to extend to all corners of the state.
“There’s sort of a saccharin definition of the Wisconsin Idea of any professor working with a legislator is promoting the Wisconsin Idea,” Mason said. “To some extent that’s some of the remnants of it, but when I think of the Wisconsin Idea I think about the university and the legislature coming together to really tackle the state’s biggest problems and come to a solution that would be egalitarian and functional and would work in the real world.”
Mason, who said he spends a lot of time thinking and talking about the Wisconsin Idea, said it’s on the decline due to a variety of factors. Even faculty who have historically worked with legislators on public policy are hesitant to express their research for fear of political retaliation, according to Mason.
Mason, Risser and Hutton, however, have all worked with faculty to gain their expertise on their proposed bills. Recently, Canon testified at the Capitol along with several other UW professors when the state adopted a voter ID law.
Future of the Wisconsin Idea
Despite funding cuts and concerns that the Wisconsin Idea is on the decline, some maintain their hope for the future of the Wisconsin Idea and the strength of the state overall.
“Whether it be students or faculty or administration, they care deeply and passionately about the state and want to provide solutions to our problems. That’s remarkable and still a great aspect of the state,” Mason said. “There’s still sifting and winnowing of knowledge that occurs in the UW System.”
The passion sparked from the Wisconsin Idea links back to the university in the form of a strong, successful alumni base.
“That to me is what a community, a thriving community, looks like,” Hutton said. “As individuals and companies, meaning the private sector, are prosperous, communities are prosperous.”
It will remain to be seen if Wisconsin will revert back to its heritage of promoting progressive, liberal activities or if the evolved conservative state will break new ground. Regardless, some have optimism for Wisconsin’s future.
“Even with the budget cuts we’ve had over the last couple of budget cycles, we’re still a very strong university and I think we do play a really important role in helping make sure that the future of the state is going to be positive,” Canon said.
