ON CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT, THANKS
FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
>> THANK YOU, ZAC.
>> A MASSIVE 18 MILLION BUDGET
DEFICIT AT UW-OSHKOSH IS LEADING
THE ADMINISTRATION TO PROJECT
LAYING OFF 20%, OR 1,100
EMPLOYEES.
THE THIRD LARGEST UW SYSTEM
CAMPUS ANNOUNCED SOME LAYOFFS
AND FURLOUGHS WILL BEGIN THIS
FALL.
TO HEAR FROM THE EMPLOYEE
PERSPECTIVE WE ARE JOINED NOW BY
THE FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT,
PASCAL MANNING, AND ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH AT
UW-OSHKOSH, THANKS FOR JOINING
US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>>
>> WHAT IMPACTS WILL THIS HAVE
ON THE UNIVERSITY BOTH IN TERMS
OF SERVICE AND GENERAL MORALE?
>> I THINK THAT THE IMPACTS HAVE
THE POTENTIAL TO BE CATASTROPHIC
IN OUR COMMUNITY.
OF COURSE THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE
REVERBERATIONS ACROSS THE ENTIRE
CAMPUS.
FROM THE CLASSROOM TO EVERY
OTHER CORNER OF THIS, YOU KNOW,
HUGELY DIVERSE ORGANISM THAT IS
OUR UNIVERSITY.
THEY ARE GOING TO BE FELT IN THE
WIDER COMMUNITY.
YOU MENTIONED 20% OF OUR
WORKFORCE.
BUT THAT JUST ACCOUNTS FOR THE
LAYOFFS.
WE HAVE AN ADDITIONAL PROJECTED
APPROXIMATELY 100 VOLUNTARY
RETIREMENTS THAT ARE PART OF
THIS LOSS THAT WE ARE ESTIMATING
IN THE COMING MONTHS.
SO TAKEN TOGETHER, IF WE ARE
LOOKING AT SOMEWHERE IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD OF 300 PEOPLE
LEAVING OUR COMMUNITY, THAT IS
30% OF OUR WORKFORCE.
IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE WHAT THE
UNIVERSITY WILL LOOK LIKE, BUT
IT WILL LOOK DIFFERENT.
F HOW MUCH HAS TO DO WITH
SPECIFICS OF ENROLLMENT VERSUS
THE BIGGER PICTURE OF STATE
FUNDING FOR THE UW SYSTEM?
>> YEAH, THAT IS A REALLY GOOD
QUESTION.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS WE
HAVE TO APPRECIATE IS OF COURSE
ENROLLMENT HAS GONE DOWN.
BUT ENROLLMENT CAN'T BE
DISENTANGLED FROM STATE FUNDING.
SO IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO
BEAR IN MIND THAT THE UW SYSTEM
IS UNDERFUNDED IN COMPARISON TO
OTHER STATE SYSTEMS.
THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
SYSTEM RANKED 43 RD NATIONALLY
IN PER-STUDENT FUNDING IN 2021.
IN THE LAST BUDGET TONY EVERS
PROPOSED A $305 MILLION INCREASE
FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
SYSTEM, BUT THE LEGISLATURE
OPTED INSTEAD TO CUT THE
SYSTEM'S BUDGET BY $32 MILLION.
SO THE THINGS WE ARE SEEING IN
THIS MOMENT, THESE CRISIS THAT
ARE NOT ONLY GOING ON AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN,
OSHKOSH, BUT ELSE WHERE IN THE
SYSTEM, THESE ARE PART OF A
LONG-TERM TREND WHERE WE CAN SEE
THE STATE SYSTEM -- OR THE STATE
ITSELF DIVESTING IN THE
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM.
>> NOW YOU MENTIONED THE FUNDING
BATTLE OVER THE UW SYSTEM'S
BUDGET WITH THE LEGISLATURE.
REPUBLICAN OPPOSITION TO THE UW
SYSTEMS STARTED WITH THE
SYSTEM'S COMMITMENT TO
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
PROGRAMMING.
WOULD YOU SACRIFICE DEI IN
EXCHANGE FOR MORE STATE FUNDING?
WOULD YOU CONSIDER THAT AS AN
ALTERNATIVE WORTH EXPLORING?
>> NO, I DON'T THINK THAT IS
POSSIBLE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE
PANDEMIC HAS LAID BARE IS THAT
OUR STUDENTS NEED MORE SUPPORT,
NOT LESS SUPPORT.
THEY NEED TO SEE THEMSELVES
REFLECTED IN THE PEOPLE AROUND
THEM IN THEIR UNIVERSITIES.
THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE
RELEVANCY OF A UNIVERSITY
EDUCATION TO THEIR LIFE.
AND PART OF THE PROGRAMMING THAT
GOES INTO THAT LARGE BUCKET OF
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
IS -- ARE PROGRAMS AND
INITIATIVES THAT FACE THOSE VERY
REAL NEEDS.
THEY'RE NATIONAL NEEDS, THEY ARE
INTERNATIONAL NEEDS.
DEI GETS SORT OF BRANDED IN THIS
SORT OF SIMPLIFIED WAY BY THE
LEGISLATURE AND ELSE WHERE.
THAT DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR WHAT
STUDENTS REALLY NEED A
UNIVERSITY TO BE ABLE TO PROJECT
TO THEM.
>> HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO THE
NEGATIVE SPIRAL OF LACK OF
FUNDING, LOWER QUALITY, THE
UNIVERSITY CAN'T RECRUIT GOOD
TALENT, ENROLLMENT DROPS
FURTHER, LEADING TO LESS FUNDING
AND JUST REPEATING OVER AND
OVER?
>> WELL, YEAH.
THE PRINCIPAL ISSUE IS ONE OF
INVESTMENT.
WE NEED TO SEE INVESTMENT IN
UNIVERSITY LEVEL EDUCATION, THE
UW SYSTEM AND YOU KNOW, ANY
OTHER UNIVERSITY SYSTEM IN ORDER
TO SEE INNOVATION THAT ENABLES
RISES IN ENROLLMENT.
INNOVATION IN PROGRAMMING.
RECONCEPTIONS AND REIMAGININGS
OF EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURES.
SO THESE TRENDS WE HAVE BEEN
SEEIN IN THE LAST 20-ODD YEARS
ARE, YOU KNOW, SPECIFIC TO
WISCONSIN BUT THEY ARE ACROSS
THE BOARD.
WE ARE SEEING IN THE U.S. THESE
KINDS OF SYSTEMATIC
DIS-INVESTMENT.
IN WISCONSIN ALONE WE HAVE GONE
FROM A SITUATION IN THE YEAR
2000 WHERE STATE AND LOCAL
FUNDING WAS 6.4% ABOVE THE
NATIONAL AVERAGE.
THEN IF WE DIAL OVER TO 2019 WE
FIND THAT STATE AND LOCAL
FUNDING HAS FALLEN BY 16.5%
BELOW THE NATIONAL AVERAGE.
PER-STUDENT FUNDING IS
CONTINUING TO FALL RAPIDLY.
SO THIS HAMPERS UNIVERSITY'S
ABILITIES TO DIVERSIFY AND
RESPOND TO THE PROBLEM.
IN ADDITION TO ALL THIS UNTIL
MARCH OF LAST YEAR.
WE WERE TEN YEARS IN TO A
TUITION FREEZE.
SO NOT ONLY WERE WE SEEING
SYSTEMATIC DISINVESTMENT, BUT WE
WERE PREVENTED FROM SETTING OUR
OWN COSTS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE.
THERE IS MORE TO TALK ABOUT AS
THIS KEEPS GOING ON.