On August 19th, Universities of Wisconsin’s President Jay Rothman introduced a new biennial budget request for 2025-2027. Although, Wisconsin ranks 43rd out of 50 states in public funding to universities. UW-President Rothman says these academic institutions have been neglected for far too long.

“With classes about to start, we need to do better for our students and parents. Budgets reflect priorities,” Rothman said. “To win the war for talent, it’s going to take public funding that is competitive and gets us up to the middle in public funding per student. Every bordering state around Wisconsin is in the top 10 in public funding nationally, while Wisconsin is in the bottom 10. That is not the Wisconsin I know.”

Part of Rothman’s new budget request is infusing $457 million annually for the Universities of Wisconsin. He says this will help get up Wisconsin to the middle in national rankings of public universities receiving public funding.

“Education unlocks opportunity and helps our state compete, regionally, nationally, and globally. Our budget gets us there in the second year of the biennium,” Rothman said. “It’s time Wisconsin stops falling behind. Our universities have become increasingly more tuition dependent, and that’s not good for our students.

If the biennial budget request is accepted, Rothman says in-state undergraduate tuition would not increase. He also says the $457 million annual infusion of public funding would help sustain public universities in rural areas of Wisconsin.

“We want to do our best and this budget is focused in no small part on maintaining accessibility. One of the things that this would do, it would give us the dollars to invest in those access locations. We know that the demand for a two year degree, the associate’s degree is declining, but this would give us the investment dollars that we don’t have today to invest in expanding adult learning opportunities, degree completion, continuing education, and perhaps even having graduate programs at those access points so that they could remain viable.

For more information about the biennial budget request you can read more here. Also for other stories happening with the Universities of Wisconsin you can read more here.