Students, state focus of Madison Initiative II

Continued strengthening of the university’s commitment to students and the state is the focus of the next phase of the Madison Initiative.

Related story: A Madison Initiative status report

The framework for the next two years of the public-private partnership will be unveiled today, Feb. 10, at the Business and Finance Committee meeting of the UW System Board of Regents.

“This proposal continues the public-private partnership established last year between the citizens of Wisconsin and the university’s alumni and donors,” says Chancellor David Ward. “The Madison Initiative strengthens our commitment to our students and the state of Wisconsin.”

The Madison Initiative is a four-year investment plan to enable UW–Madison to continue to provide students an outstanding education and help Wisconsin maintain its competitiveness in the global economy.

The overall plan calls for an investment of $57 million in new funds from the state and students, to be matched by $40 million in private support, for a total investment of $97 million. Ward says these funds are needed to bring UW–Madison to the Big Ten median of support per student from state tax revenue and tuition.

State lawmakers approved the first $29.2 million for the Madison Initiative in the 1999-2001 state budget, which was matched by $20 million in donations from alumni and donors through the UW Foundation and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

For the 2001-2003 state budget, the university will request the remaining $28 million to complete the Madison Initiative, to again be matched with $20 million in private support.

“The first part of the Madison Initiative helped us partially close the $57 million gap,” says Provost John Wiley, who will make the presentation to the Board of Regents’ Business and Finance Committee. “The second part will enable the university to leverage new grant money and private giving over and above our current levels, allowing us to maintain our margin of excellence as one of the nation’s best public research universities.”

The first phase of the initiative, now under way, focuses on strategic hiring and retention of key faculty and academic staff; renovation and repair of aging buildings; instructional initiatives in the biological sciences; and improving financial assistance for students in need. In addition, funds have been invested in academic improvements, such as advising, information technology and libraries.

The second phase of the initiative, with additional funding proposed for the 2001-2003 budget and increased private giving, would expand on these priorities by continuing the strategic hiring program; broadening student learning opportunities; maintaining affordability for students through increased financial aid; and enhancing Wisconsin’s economic development.

Ward says the Madison Initiative is rooted in the university’s vision for the future – which includes keeping the best and brightest Wisconsin high school graduates in Wisconsin, attracting and retaining world-class faculty members, providing a world-class education for Wisconsin’s future leaders and maintaining Wisconsin’s competitiveness in the global economy.

“The Madison Initiative is a modest investment with a high rate of return and long-term results,” says Ward. “This investment benefits our students and the people of Wisconsin.”