Wisconsin Needs Higher Education
Reinvestment
By Matt Kadow
It is no mystery that an educated
society is a productive and just society. That is why it is so
important the State of Wisconsin reinvest in Higher Education. The
most effective and important way we can reinvest in Higher Education
is to make a commitment to providing greater access to our world
class University system.
The UW System and Governor Doyle have
taken a couple steps in order to increase access to public
universities in Wisconsin.
Governor Doyle has introduced the
Wisconsin Covenant, which allows incoming high school freshman to
sign an agreement with that State of Wisconsin that commits
interested students to maintaining a “B” average and
staying out of trouble, and in turn, they are guaranteed a place in
the University of Wisconsin System or the Technical Colleges –
along with the necessary financial aid package. This proposal will
need approval and funding from the state legislature.
The UW System Board of Regents has
implemented a new holistic admissions policy (affirmative action)
that takes into account a student’s background in a
comprehensive fashion – looking at them as an individual not
just a test score and GPA. This policy is one of the broadest and
most fair holistic admissions policies in the nation in that it uses
as criteria – among others – adversity overcome and
socio-economic situation of the student. Using such criteria serves
as an acknowledgement of the real heart of the problem of access to
higher education: affordability.
Access on paper is present and growing,
but access in terms of financial reality is becoming a less
achievable goal every year. The cost of higher education, as is the
case with all things, is increasing every year while at the same time
the amount of financial aid available is either remaining stagnant or
not being increased proportionately with the rising costs of
attending college. Knowing this, it is not a surprising fact that
qualified individuals cannot gain access to the UW System because
they have been effectively priced out of the market.
In order to reverse these trends and
provide true access we need the State Legislature to make a
commitment to reinvesting in higher education for the next biennium
in the following ways:
- Maintain current tuition levels.
Meaning implement a tuition freeze for the 2007-2009 biennium. This
will prevent the financial burden on students from increasing.
- Increase funding and award amounts for
the Wisconsin Higher Education Grant (WHEG) by $33.7 million dollars.
This grant is integral in assisting students in obtaining a higher
education and has the potential to significantly offset the debt that
is necessarily incurred by students seeking a degree.
- Create a statutory mandate that
establishes a dollar-for-dollar link between the average tuition
increase and the average WHEG award. The State Legislature cannot
continue to increase tuition without proportionately increasing
available aid.
Reinvestment in higher education holds
only benefits for the State of Wisconsin in terms of both economic
success and social responsibility. Reinvestment in higher education
cannot be put off any longer. The commitment needs to be made in the
2007-2009 Biennial Budget. Please contact Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer and
Sen. Joe Leibham and urge them to reinvest in higher education this
year!
Matt Kadow is a former Legislative
Affairs Director for the UW Colleges Student Governance Council and
currently the 1st Vice-Chair of the MCDP.
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