Thompson highlights UW in farewell

In his parting address to lawmakers, Gov. Tommy Thompson pushed biotechnology initiatives and advised the Legislature to fund the second phase of the Madison Initiative and other higher education financing plans.

“As best you can given available resources, move forward with the Madison Initiative, Milwaukee Idea and Chippewa Valley Initiative,” Thompson said. “All are strategic plans geared toward developing the jobs and workers of tomorrow through public-private partnerships in their regions.”

Speaking Jan. 31 on the eve of his departure for a cabinet post in the Bush administration, Thompson listed other priorities as well, including the university’s BioStar program, a 10-year bioscience building project that will help the university modernize research and teaching space.

“We must continue investing wisely in our universities: Keep the Biostar program on pace. Double the number of information technology graduates. And create a master’s degree in biotechnology at UW–Madison,” Thompson advised lawmakers.

“We’ve built our UW System campuses into cutting-edge institutions by helping to finance 4,025 building projects totaling nearly $2 billion in capital investment,” Thompson noted. “The payoff is the nation’s best-educated, skilled workforce. Our students graduate in high demand.”

Thompson also noted the university’s impact on business development and the Wisconsin economy. “We can’t afford to waste the newfound synergy between our universities and private sector if we want to grow the technology industry in Wisconsin,” Thompson said.

“Wisconsin stands to become America’s Biotech Prairie and we mustn’t let one high tech company escape our state in search of a better climate,” Thompson said. “We must aggressively pursue more venture capital so the ambitious high-tech and biotech entrepreneurs have the resources to bring their discoveries to market.”

To that end, Thompson suggested creating tax-free “technology zones” in regions of the state. “They can set the Biotech Prairie on fire by providing a tremendous financial incentive for high-tech companies to locate and grow in Wisconsin. The payoff will be thousands of new jobs and taxpayers.”

Other remarks

In his remarks, Thompson also:

• Urged closer ties between all levels of schooling, so a student “can move easily from high school to technical college to the university system – all while getting real work experience. This must be the model for education in the 21st century.”
• Thanked Chancellor John Wiley and UW System President Katherine Lyall for their leadership.
• Applauded the UW System for requiring high school seniors to take a state graduation test as a requirement for admission.

Thompson made his farewell to the state in his final State of the State speech, ticking off his accomplishments over 14 years as governor. Lt. Gov. Scott McCallum was to be sworn in as the state’ s top executive Thursday, taking over for Thompson, President Bush’ s choice as secretary of health and human services.