UW System

Wisconsin’s higher education system is going through a quiet but major change. Beginning this school year, the state’s 13 two-year colleges are now branch campuses of four-year universities. The restructuring is an effort to keep the colleges’ doors open despite declining enrollment and revenue.

The University of Wisconsin System's Board of Regents is set to approve a new budget that would increase student fees for the 2018-2019 school year, as well as the cost of room and board. This comes at a time when the UW System has been dealing with both a tuition freeze, and cuts in state funding.

The UW Board of Regents' spending plan calls for raising student fees at four-year schools an average of $33 per student. Room and board would increase an average of $118 per year.

With change comes uncertainty -- and uncertain is exactly the vibe on UW-Milwaukee’s campus, as faculty, staff and students begin to learn more about the future of their school.

Wisconsin’s public university system will look different in 2018. Come next fall, UWM will merge with a couple two-year UW campuses.

Updated Thursday, Nov. 9: 
The UW Board of Regents approved a plan at its monthly meeting Thursday that would merge the systems two-year schools with its four-year campuses.  The Regents approved the proposal on a voice vote -- with Tony Evers and Janice Mueller dissenting.

The proposal, crafted by UW System president Ray Cross, will impact the UW Colleges, four-year institutions and the UW-Extension -- but not Wisconsin's Technical College System, which is a separate entity.

Original post: October 11, 2017  

As Wisconsin's legislature struggles to finish its biennial budget, the UW Board of Regents has already approved its financial blueprint for the upcoming year.

Students in the UW System wouldn’t have to worry about a tuition hike in the next two years, under a spending plan the legislature’s Joint Finance committee approved Thursday. The panel voted along party lines, to continue a freeze that’s been in place the past four years. However, Republicans did not control costs as much as Gov. Walker hoped they would.

Wisconsin lawmakers are deciding whether to reward UW System schools based on how they perform. And experts say the idea has its share of pros and cons.

Some of the biggest education stories in Milwaukee this year dealt with decisions elected leaders made in the statehouse.

2016 marked a year of uncharted territory for both public K-12 and higher education in Milwaukee.

The last time we heard from Sara Goldrick-Rab, her business cards read "professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison."

This time around, she has a different title.

Gov. Walker, who has already capped tuition in the UW System for four years, now says he will extend the freeze for two more. He says he wants to keep tuition affordable. While students at UW-Milwaukee could benefit financially, some don't think the idea is a solid one, at least over the long-term.

Brianna Little, a senior majoring in health care administration at UWM, says she's afraid of what might happen to younger students, if the tuition freeze continues for two-more years.

Campuses across the UW System are implanting massive cuts. Each university released documents this week outlining its plans. The cuts are in response to the $250 million cut Republicans made to the UW System in the state’s two-year budget.

Students are hearing that they may face larger class sizes, fewer course offerings and a longer time to complete a degree.

Some UW students could find their tuition bill climbing this fall.

The UW Board of Regents approved tuition increases for certain students at their monthly meeting Friday.

Raises only apply to non-resident students and graduate students in specific programs at UW-La Cross, UW-Platteville, UW-Stout, UW-Whitewater and UW-Milwaukee. They’ll go into effect beginning this fall.  

Big changes are on the horizon for students and faculty at UW-Milwaukee. Budget strains mean the school must find ways to save money over the next few years.

UWM leadership announced a financial recovery plan at a public meeting on campus Monday. The “magic number” in this plan is three.

It’s a three-year plan, and UWM Chancellor Mark Mone has outlined three areas where the university will try to save money.