Statement of the chancellor on the Joint Finance Committee’s budget action

Interim Chancellor David Ward has issued the following statement regarding the Joint Finance Committee’s action on the UW System budget: 

“The governor’s amended proposal for UW System funding was challenging but manageable.  While I understand and appreciate the concerns of the Legislature over tuition levels, fund balances and other issues, I am disappointed that the Joint Finance Committee felt it needed to eliminate any new state funding in the upcoming biennium.  While we are able to reduce our cash balances to cover the expenses that will not be covered by the state in this biennium, the additional ongoing reductions proposed by the Committee will make it more difficult to meet our operational obligations in future years.  We must work together going forward to rebuild the trust between the university and the Legislature, to ensure that our goals and objectives for the university are aligned, and that there is a shared commitment to the level of state investment that will allow the state to maintain a world-class university.”