Following the Trump Administration’s crackdown on higher education, University of Wisconsin-Madison administrators, student and faculty groups alike have stepped up lobbying efforts.
Lobbying reports from OpenSecrets show UW-Madison has spent $831,000 on lobbying since the beginning of the year, but information from the last quarter of the year has not been reported yet. During all of 2024, UW-Madison spent $807,000.
UW-Madison is currently implementing major cuts to its research programs and graduate student enrollment as reductions in federal research funding draw the university into legal battles with the federal government.
UW-Madison’s research expenditures total $1.7 billion in the past year, placing them sixth among all other American universities. But UW-Madison spokesperson Victoria Comella told The Daily Cardinal this situation could change.
“This year, the university is navigating an unusually dynamic federal funding environment,” Comella said. “Agencies have shifted priorities, some awards have been amended or halted and long-reliable funding streams have been contracted.”
Comella clarified that both the Departments of Defense and Energy, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have concentrated funding into five key concentrations:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Quantum Science
- Cybersecurity
- Biomedical Research with National Security Relevance
- Fusion and Energy Security
Comella singled out AI as the “top national R&D priority” in federal funding. AI research at UW-Madison has also been named the first priority of the university’s RISE (Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence) initiative.
UW-Madison currently has $221.3 million in active funding from DOD grants, according to a lawsuit filed by the Association of American Universities.
Comella said DOD’s Critical Technology Areas “have significant alignment with UW areas of expertise,” yet funding remains a hard procurement.
Beyond AI research, Comella mentioned one of UW-Madison’s key research priorities is the Pegasus-III Experiment in plasma technology, which seeks to “reduce the cost and complexity of future fusion power plants” and is sponsored by the Energy Department.
The Energy Department terminated 223 projects on Oct. 2, targeting projects seen as not economically viable, although Pegasus-III was not one of the terminated projects.
To lobby for increased funding, UW-Madison’s federal relations team coordinates with agencies and congressional staff and recently spoke at a panel before Congress calling for greater NIH funding. The university also works with government relations firms Lewis-Burke Associates and BGR Group to achieve these goals.
“The vice chancellor for research and the new director of national security initiatives coordinate campus-wide efforts, supported by the Office of Federal Relations and national associations like the [Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities] and AAU,” Comella said. “Faculty regularly engage federal agencies, attend national summits and meet with decision-makers to align research proposals with federal needs.”
The federal government hasn’t been the only cause of funding reductions, though.
At the state level, funding for the University of Wisconsin System has been rocky as Republicans proposed an $80 million funding cut for universities in the biennial budget last summer, before approving a $256 million increase. This is still a far cry from Gov. Evers’ proposed $856 million that the system requested.
State lobbying
UW-Madison faculty lobbying group, the Public Organization of the Faculty Senate (PROFS) and the Associated Students of Madison (ASM) — the university’s student government — also carry out lobbying efforts at the state level, along with UW’s Office of State Relations, which advocates for the university with the Legislature.
ASM Legislative Affairs Chair Megan Mladucky said ASM participates in a yearly collaboration with other Big Ten schools for federal lobbying.
“Lobbying efforts have included advocating for bills related to basic needs and increased accommodations for disabled students,” Mladucky said. “Our goal with these efforts is to elevate student questions and concerns with the legislature to overall create a better campus environment for all students.”
Additionally, ASM engages in state lobbying efforts on behalf of students. Mladucky identified Act 15 as their current concern and the main piece of ASM’s state lobbying efforts.
Act 15 is a law that requires all schools in the UW System to change transfer credit policies and general education in addition to instructor workload requirements.
New general education requirements passed unanimously on Nov. 19 during a special meeting of the Board of Regents.
ASM’s Legislative Affairs committee will host a shared Student Advocacy Committee session Dec. 4 to discuss concerns related to the university’s relationship with the state government.
