51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s current financial picture is strained and in desperate need of investment if it is to sustain its mission in the future, Robin Van Harpen, 51ÁÔÆæ vice chancellor for finance and administrative affairs, told a group of UW System regents Thursday.<\/p>\n
Among the sobering statistics: Since 2009, state appropriations to 51ÁÔÆæ have declined by about 20% and, with the combination of the legislative-imposed tuition freeze and enrollment declines, 51ÁÔÆæ has seen a 32% decline in tuition revenue since 2012.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s designation as a research institution, for decades, until about 2010, 51ÁÔÆæ was able to make this work largely through enrollment and tuition revenue growth, decade after decade. That model no longer exists,\u201d she said at the Business and Finance Committee meeting, part of the June Board of Regents meeting being held at 51ÁÔÆæ.<\/p>\n
Because of budgetary cuts, which at times have been extreme, she added, it is no longer sustainable for 51ÁÔÆæ to meet its goals, which directly affect the economic health of the state.<\/p>\n
51ÁÔÆæ has accomplished some success in the last decade with an annual $5 million in gifts earmarked for scholarships. Four- and six-year graduation rates among low-income students have risen, Van Harpen said. But the administration\u2019s goal is to bring up the institution\u2019s graduation rate from 47% in 2021 to 60% by the fall of 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat if we achieve that, it could, with other factors including enrollment being equal, result in 30% more graduates that we put out into the state of Wisconsin and the talent pipeline,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
To graduate more students in high-demand careers, 51ÁÔÆæ will need support to increase student financial aid, improve student success infrastructure and boost research in order to protect its R1 status, the top-tier rating for research institutions set by the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education.<\/p>\n
51ÁÔÆæ has a high number of low-income undergrads and most of them borrow to pay for college. Yet 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s tuition and fees are higher than the UW System average because of its research mission. To meet this need, Van Harpen said, 51ÁÔÆæ needs to increase student scholarships. She said she is encouraged by conversations to expand to all UW System institutions the full tuition scholarships programs like the Badger Promise and Bucky\u2019s Tuition Promise that are available to low-income students attending UW-Madison.<\/p>\n
To offer an example of the benefit, she said, if $20 million in base funding for a Promise program were available, the additional financial aid that 51ÁÔÆæ could offer low-income students would lower their unmet need to average levels among students in UW System institutions.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cYour presentation offers a clear picture of the impact on the students,\u201d said Regent Scott Beightol. \u201cWe\u2019re saying to the students who come to 51ÁÔÆæ, \u2018The doors are open, oh and, by the way, we\u2019re going to saddle you with the highest costs in the system.\u2019 We\u2019ve got to fix that.\u201d<\/p>\n Through participation in programs like Moon Shot for Equity, 51ÁÔÆæ aims to close the 18-point achievement gap between white students and underrepresented minorities.<\/p>\n To accomplish its goal of increasing access to underserved populations, 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s is investing about $5 million in one-time funds this fiscal year to provide additional support to ensure student success.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re putting our money where our mouths are by using one-time balances to fund long-term initiatives because we need that infrastructure to keep moving our success metrics forward,\u201d Van Harpen said. \u201cBut without the recognition of a longer-term need, these will be difficult to sustain.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional funding for 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s research mission would allow the university to restore faculty lines in economy-driving disciplines and increase its federal research funding.<\/p>\n The severity of 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s budget tightening has led to a decline in the number of faculty members on the main campus. Van Harpen said full-time faculty numbers have fallen from 810 in fall of 2012 to 597 in fall 2021.<\/p>\n 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s research and development spending dropped 12.1% between 2011 and 2019, while at 51ÁÔÆæ’s peer institutions\u2019 spending as a whole rose by 13.8%, according to a report last year by the Wisconsin Policy Forum.<\/p>\n \u201cThe loss in faculty is particularly concerning because it directly impacts our numbers of research proposals, PhD students that can be supported and ultimately our ability to retain our R1 status,\u201d Van Harpen said. \u201cWe\u2019re squeezed to the point that we\u2019re losing traction in a way that could become irreversible.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s current financial picture is strained and in desperate need of investment if it is to sustain its mission in the future, Robin Van Harpen, 51ÁÔÆæ vice chancellor for finance and administrative affairs, told a group of UW System regents Thursday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":836,"featured_media":107819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174,200],"tags":[],"section":[122,126],"display_categories":[],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[167],"class_list":["post-107818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-news-in-brief","section-campus-community","section-campus-news","uwmnews-feed-alumni-association"],"yoast_head":"\nStudent success infrastructure<\/h3>\n
Research support<\/h3>\n