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Friday, March 29, 2024
Critics see potential of downfall in Foxconn, UW-Madison partnership

This is the largest gift the university has received, but before its official, it must receive a successful vote from the Board of Regents. 

Critics see potential of downfall in Foxconn, UW-Madison partnership

Supporters of the partnership between Foxconn and UW-Madison consider it an opportunity to encourage academic research, while critics question the integrity of private funding and safe workspaces.

Chancellor Rebecca Blank and Foxconn Founder Terry Gou signed an agreement gifting the university a $100 million from the company. The money will go toward research and breaking ground for a new facility in the College of Engineering.

“I’m very touched by the generosity of and excited about the opportunities that this gift is going to open up for our faculty, students and the state of Wisconsin,” Blank said at the event.

The partnership between the company and UW-Madison also bonds a team consisting of Advocate Aurora, Johnson Controls and Northwestern Mutual. Together, the four companies will contribute $25 million to the fund, called the Wisconn Valley Venture Fund.

The companies cited their shared interest in artificial intelligence and robotics as the force that brought the unusual group together. They also agreed to focus efforts on medical research, including immune cell research and medical imaging.

This project is especially personal for Gou, who lost his wife and younger brother to cancer. The healthcare research could contribute to the Carbone Cancer Center and their ongoing research into the genetics of cancer.

“As a family member of a breast cancer patient, this pain has not subsided for 12 years. To beat cancer, it is necessary to thoroughly understand the nature of cancer," Gou said in March 2017.

Wisconsin is known for welcoming companies and organizations to promote wellbeing and technological advancement throughout the state. It did not take long for Foxconn to catch on, as the Taiwanese consumer electronics manufacturer began searching for a more “homegrown” approach in the state.

The rising prevalence of companies promoting academic research sparked backlash that Wisconsin-based companies are not investing in state schools. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, some companies leaned toward other major universities to fund research projects.

Foxconn has received criticism since it first laid out plans to build in Wisconsin. Democrats combatted Foxconn’s involvement with the state, considering it a political power move and a failure to invest in funds responsibly.

“There’s a lot of skepticism anytime there’s something that comes up with Foxconn,” said Karen Herzog, a reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel when speaking about Foxconn with WPR. “A certain amount of skepticism is healthy, because until you see the money you can’t really be sure that it’s there.”

UW-Madison’s Teaching Assistants’ Association shared their “grave” concerns for the partnership.

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“This arrangement directly threatens our university’s commitment to the Wisconsin Idea,” the TAA wrote in a statement. “The fruits of research at UW belong to the people of Wisconsin, not to a private corporation.”

They also mentioned the mistreatment of employees, the allocation of funds towards technology instead of education and the endangerment of academic freedom.

“The $100 million that Foxconn plans to donate to UW-Madison was made on the backs of underpaid, exploited workers,” they wrote. “Foxconn has no place in a public institution committed to excellence, fairness and democracy.”

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