Idea to split UW-Madison from UW System advances

A committee studying the future of the state’s public university system recommended the Legislature explore spinning off the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the state's public university system.

The committee also endorsed a dozen other recommendations that could bring more transparency to campuses and make it easier for UW-Madison to complete building projects. Suggestions included reducing duplicative programming, regularly reviewing the formula allocating taxpayer money among universities and exploring changes to how members are selected to serve on the UW Board of Regents.

For now, the recommendations are simply suggestions for the Legislature to consider when it returns to the state Capitol next year.

Here's what to know about the ideas and where they go from here:

What was the committee's case for splitting off UW-Madison?

Thirteen of the 18 committee members said separating the flagship from the dozen other UW universities would help UW-Madison compete nationally and reverse a slide in federal research rankings that began about a decade ago. It would also align UW-Madison with the majority of other top research universities that have a board focused solely on their institution, according to research by committee member and UW Foundation board member Peter Kies.

Equally, if not more, important, committee member Robert Venable said, was having a second board focused on the "existential issues" plaguing Wisconsin's dozen other public universities. Some of the smaller UW institutions have laid off staff, closed campuses and cut costs in recent years to close financial deficits driven by declining enrollment.

But UW-Madison masks the extent of those problems, committee members said.

Those voting in favor were Kies, UW Foundation board member William Hsu; Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie; Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee; former UW Regent Bob Atwell, former UW Regent Scott Beightol; UW-Green Bay teaching professor Shauna Froelich; former UW System vice president Jim Langdon; UW-Madison Professor Ananth Seshadri; UW-Madison Professor Cecelia Klingele; Kurt Bauer, CEO of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce; Marshfield businessman Jerome Lippert; and Robert Venable, CEO of the Chicago-based company Miami Corporation Management.

What does UW say about the idea?

UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and UW System President Jay Rothman have said publicly they oppose the spinoff. Mnookin said addressing problems is "preferable" within the existing system.

Chancellors at the other UW institutions have not publicly weighed in on whether they support severing ties with UW-Madison, though Beightol said there have been many phone calls about it.

What do people opposed to the split say?

Gov. Tony Evers isn't on board.

"Tell me why that's a good idea. I have no idea. I mean, we have a system, and it works; it's underfunded, but it works," he told a Green Bay TV station in September.

Five committee members voted against the split, including Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee. He said the plan would create more bureaucracy, benefit donors and businesses who could "buy influence" at UW-Madison and do little to address long-term higher education needs in Wisconsin.

Larson said he conducted his own survey about higher education and received nearly 700 responses. Nearly three-fourths of respondents opposed the split, 8% supported it and 19% had either no opinion or needed more information.

“It was a very clear no,” he told other committee members at an Oct. 24 meeting.

Other committee members who voted against the split were Rep. Alex Joers, D-Middleton, UW-La Crosse Provost Betsy Morgan, former UW Regent Jan Mueller and Mark Tyler, who serves on the state Technical College System board.

UW-Madison split is far from new idea

The last time the spinoff was floated came in 2011. Then-Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed pairing a significant budget cut with greater freedom for UW-Madison by turning it into a new public authority with its own governing board.

Then-Chancellor Biddy Martin supported it, but the UW System did not. Lawmakers removed it from the budget, and Martin left UW-Madison shortly after the plan fell apart.

Some other ideas specific to UW-Madison, including bonding authority

Sixteen committee members said UW-Madison should have its own bonding authority, a tool most every other flagship and major research university have at their disposal.

"They’ve got one arm tied behind their back right now, as a large financial institution that’s one of the major economic drivers in our state," Beightol said. "So let’s free them up."

The committee also suggested UW-Madison receive its state budget allocation separately from the other UW universities.

Committee urges closer look at funding formula

Disparities in how UW System allocates state taxpayer money among universities also drew the committee's attention.

The committee recommended the UW Board of Regents publish the formula or methodology behind the allocations. Former board members now serving on the committee testified to unsuccessful attempts at understanding the formula and why some universities, such as UW-Whitewater and UW-La Crosse, received the lowest per-student allocations.

Committee members suggested the UW Regents regularly review the formula, such as every two to five years. It also encouraged more discussion about performance-based metrics for universities to improve educational outcomes.

Recommendations touch on programming, board makeup, student interviews

Other recommendations the committee endorsed for legislative consideration include:

• Creation of a Wisconsin Higher Education Coordinating Council that would establish statewide goals and track progress, and approve closure of any campus.

• "Reform" how members of a dedicated UW-Madison board and board for the other 12 UW universities are selected.

• Create a formalized process to gather information from students who do not complete their degree about why, perhaps through exit interviews.

• Regionalize UW program offerings to reduce duplication in programming at campuses geographically near to each other. Move toward a model of program specializations at each campus.

Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at [email protected] or 414-223-5168. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @KellyMeyerhofer.

This story was updated to add a video and because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Idea to split University of Wisconsin-Madison from UW System advances