ZAC SCHULTZ FOR "HERE & NOW."
>> IN EDUCATION NEWS,
UW-PLATTEVILLE ANNOUNCED THIS
WEEK IT IS CUTTING 111 POSITIONS
TO MAKE UP A MORE THAN $9
MILLION DEFICIT, AND THE
UNIVERSITIES OF WISCONSIN
PRESIDENT JAY ROTHMAN HAS
ALREADY ANNOUNCED THE CLOSURE OF
IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION AT THE
FOND du LAC AND WEST BEND
TWO-YEAR CAMPUSES AND THE
DEFINITIVE CLOSING OF
UW-RICHLAND.
WE SAT DOWN THIS WEEK WITH STEVE
WILDECK, VICE CHANCELLOR
EMERITUS OF UW-COLLEGES AND
UW-EXTENSION WHO IS CRITICAL OF
THIS MOVE.
WE SHOULD NOTE, PBS WISCONSIN IS
PART OF UW-MADISON.
WE STARTED BY ASKING HIS
REACTION.
>> I THINK WHAT MY REACTION WAS
NOT TOTAL SURPRISE.
MY CONCERN WAS AT THOSE CAMPUSES
WAS THAT THEY WERE CONVENIENT
CASUALTIES OF ENROLLMENT
CHALLENGES AT THE FOUR-YEAR
INSTITUTIONS.
WHEN THE UW-COLLEGES AND
UW-EXTENSION WERE DISSOLVED BY
THE UW-SYSTEM LEADERSHIP IN
2018, THAT BEGAN A VERY
PRECIPITOUS DROP THIS
ENROLLMENTS AT THE TWO-YEAR
CAMPUSES STARTING IN 2019 THAT
BROUGHT US TO THE CURRENT DAY.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT, AGAIN, THOSE
CAMPUSES THAT WERE ATTACHED AT
THAT TIME, TOO, UW-MILWAUKEE,
OSHKOSH AND PLATTEVILLE, THE
CONNECTION IS VERY, VERY CLEAR
THAT THAT DID NOT HELP THOSE
CAMPUSES.
>> SO HOW SHOULD THE UW-RESPOND
TO FALLING ENROLLMENT AND, WITH
IT, BUDGETS THAT ARE IN THE RED,
NOT JUST ON TWO-YEAR CAMPUSES,
BUT ACROSS THE SYSTEM?
>> WELL, THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN
OVERNIGHT.
I WOULD CONTEND THAT EBB
ROLLMENT IS NOT -- ENROLLMENT IS
NOT THE PROBLEM.
ENROLLMENT IS THE SYMPTOM THAT
EVOLVED FROM THE PROBLEM OF NOT
ADEQUATELY MANAGING AS A
UW-SYSTEM THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND
ACROSS ITS UNIVERSITIES, AND
THAT'S CALLED ENROLLMENT
MANAGEMENT, AND WE HAVE NOT HAD
A SYSTEMWIDE ENROLLMENT
MANAGEMENT STRATEGY LITERALLY
SINCE 2004, 2005.
>> DO YOU THINK, THOUGH, THAT
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN AND ITS
PUBLIC UW-INSTITUTIONS, ARE
THERE TOO MANY OF THEM GIVEN THE
DEMOGRAPHICS?
>> BEFORE WE BEGIN SHUTTING
DOORS FOREVER AND BACKING OUT OF
AGREEMENTS WITH COMMUNITIES WHO
PUT UP REAL MONEY TO BUILD AND
MAINTAIN THESE CAMPUSES, WE HAVE
TO STEP BACK AND PUT A
MORATORIUM ON ANY MORE DOOR
CLOSURES AND HAVE THIS
CONVERSATION ABOUT WHERE WE'RE
GOING WITH THIS IN HIGHER
EDUCATION IN WISCONSIN.
>> IN FACT, YOU SAID THAT WHAT
YOU'RE SEEING IS THE
DISINTEGRATION OF THE SYSTEM AND
YOU ARE CONCERNED THAT IT WILL
GET WORSE.
HOW SO?
>> I THINK THAT THE TWO-YEAR
CAMPUSES HAVE -- ARE IN A VERY
VULNERABLE SPOT.
THEY HAVE BEEN ATTACHED TO
FOUR-YEAR CAMPUSES WHO WILL
CONTINUE TO SEE ENROLLMENT
PRESSURES AND I THINK THAT THE
COMMITMENT AND THE PROMISE THAT
THE UW-SYSTEM AND THE BOARD OF
REGENTS MADE TO THOSE
COMMUNITIES BACK IN THE 1960s
IN EXCHANGE, THEY GOT THESE
CAMPUSES ALL ON THE LOCAL
PROPERTY TAX DOLLAR, I'M AFRAID
THAT COMMITMENT AND THAT
PARTNERSHIP HAS BEEN PUT OFF TO
THE SIDE AND OUT OF THE
CONVERSATION.
WE HAVE TO PUT THAT RIGHT BACK
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
CONVERSATION BECAUSE THAT'S HOW
THESE COMMUNITIES CAME TO BE.
>> WHAT IS THE BEST PATH
FORWARD?
>> I HAVE NOT SEEN A WILLINGNESS
TO HAVE A BROAD PUBLIC STRATEGIC
CONVERSATION ABOUT WHERE WE'RE
GOING WITH HIGHER EDUCATION IN
WISCONSIN.
I AM CALLING ON THE LEGISLATURE
TO THROW THAT YELLOW FLAG ON THE
FIELD, TO USE A FOOTBALL
METAPHOR, TO SAY TIME OUT.
WE'RE DOING THINGS THAT ARE
PERMANENT.
WE'RE DOING THINGS THAT WILL
HAVE LIFELONG NEGATIVE
CONSEQUENCES ON COMMUNITIES FOR
WHICH WE HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OF
OBLIGATION AND WE'RE CLOSING
DOORS TO HIGHER EDUCATION AT A
TIME WHEN THIS STATE NEEDS A
HIGHER LEVEL OF DEGREE HOLDERS,
IT NEEDS BETTER-PAYING JOBS.
WE ARE BECOMING MUCH LESS
AELECTRIC ACTIVE TO HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATES -- ATTRACTIVE TO HIGH
SCHOOL GRADUATES IN THE
UW-SYSTEM THAN WE WERE EVEN
SEVEN YEARS AGO.
WE HAVE TO OPEN THAT CAN OF
WORMS TO REALLY TAKE A CLOSE
LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND HOW
WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD AS A
STATE.
AND WHETHER OR NOT THE EXISTING
STRUCTURES OF THE UW-SYSTEM AND
THE TECHNICAL COLLEGES, WHICH,
AGAIN, ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM
THOSE IN OTHER STATES, ARE
SERVING OUR CITIZENS AND OUR
RESIDENTS IN WISCONSIN THE VERY
BEST THAT THEY CAN.
>> ALL RIGHT.
STEVE WILDECK, THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AS TO THE CLOSURES,
UNIVERSITIES OF WISCONSIN
PRESIDENT, JAY ROTHMAN, SAID IN
A STATEMENT, QUOTE, IT'S TIME
FOR US TO REALIGN OUR BRANCH
CAMPUSES TO CURRENT MARKET
REALITIES AND PREPARE FOR THE