Monday, November 28, 2016 - The Daily Cardinal

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University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Monday, November 28, 2016

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UW’s research ranking drops out of top five By Madeline Heim THE DAILY CARDINAL

UW-Madison has dropped from its spot in the nation’s top five research institutions for the first time since 1972, following a few tumultuous years of declining state investment in Wisconsin’s flagship university.

MADELINE HEIM/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Without a robust research base and less alumni giving, UW-La Crosse faces challenges that the flagship university does not in dealing with the effects of recent budget cuts to the UW System.

Lacking the resources of a flagship school, UW-La Crosse struggles to weather system-wide budget storm And while Madison has felt the

effects of the $250 million budget cut Story by to the system enacted in the state’s Andrew Bahl and last biennial budget, the school’s rich research and alumni base have given Madeline Heim it options not available to most of the LA CROSSE, Wis.—With more than 40,000 students, a billion dollars in research activity and Big Ten athletics, UW-Madison is not only the flagship university in the UW System, but is also one of the state’s most visible symbols nationally.

state’s other public universities. UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow said that while his university took a major hit in the last budget, both Gov. Scott Walker and former Gov. Jim Doyle have consistently cut funding for the UW System in the past decade.

But Gow noted that the current tuition freeze, which Walker instituted in 2012, has deepened the effect of declining state support. “The new wrinkle is the tuition freeze,” he said. “Prior to that there was some ability to offset the cuts with tuition … that’s why there’s been this reduction in resources in the past few years in particular.” UW-La Crosse has an enrollment of roughly 10,500 students, the vast

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“We are extremely proud of our faculty, staff and students.” Marsha Mailick vice chancellor for research and graduate education UW-Madison

After 45 years as one of the top five research schools in the country, data from the National Science Foundation bumped UW-Madison’s ranking from fourth to sixth due to lower research activity in the 2015 fiscal year—just under $1.1 billion in annual spending for all fields of research. A university release Tuesday said the school is still a “research powerhouse,” but acknowledged that steep state budget cuts have challenged its ability to recruit top faculty and researchers. “This is a highly competitive environment,” said Marsha

Mailick, UW-Madison vice chancellor for research and graduate education and the university’s top research officer, in the release. “The numbers show that our faculty and staff are highly successful, although continued disinvestment by the state is having an impact on our ability to compete.” The school spent roughly $23.6 million in the last fiscal year to hold onto such faculty members, a difficult task as support for public higher education in other states has been on the upswing and efforts to poach UW-Madison’s best faculty and researchers are strong. Campus leaders have previously warned that continued disinvestment in the school could hurt its elite research status and have asked the legislature to reinvest in the university during the state’s upcoming biennial budget. “We are extremely proud of our faculty, staff and students,” Mailick said in the release. “But if Wisconsin is to remain at the pinnacle of American research universities, the state will need to reinvest to be sure we have the faculty positions and conditions necessary to attract and retain the best researchers.” Gov. Scott Walker tweeted Monday that the budget would provide additional funding for schools within the UW System, but it is not yet clear how much of that funding could be tied to performance metrics.

Chancellor Blank signs statement calling for protection of undocumented college students By Madeline Heim THE DAILY CARDINAL

UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank added her name to a statement released Monday that calls for U.S. officials to uphold and expand the 2012 immigration policy Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which protects eligible undocumented youth from deportation. The statement urges government leaders to consider the fate of undocumented students following the election of Donald Trump, who has been vocal about deporting anyone who is found to be in the country illegally. Students on campus have been openly critical

of those proposals, and thousands participated in a protest march to the Capitol Nov. 10 where they voiced support for undocumented students. More than 250 college and university presidents from across the country have already signed the statement. “DACA beneficiaries on our campuses have been exemplary student scholars and student leaders, working across campus and in the community,” the statement says. “With DACA, our students and alumni have been able to pursue opportunities in business, education, high tech, and the non-profit sector; they have gone to medical school, law

school, and graduate schools in numerous disciplines.” Each campus leader’s signature indicates a willingness to meet with government officials to present the case for DACA’s continuation. Former UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin, who now serves as president of Amherst College in Massachusetts, also signed the statement. Blank tweeted her commitment to protecting DACA students Monday afternoon, an act of solidarity that many on campus have been looking for since Trump’s victory. More than 4,000 students, faculty

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KAITLYN VETO/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO

UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank added her name to a statement calling for the protection of undocumented students.

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”


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