UW System to pursue more federal funding

A proposed strategy to attract more federal funds to the UW System should be designed to enhance and not hinder the already successful efforts of UW–Madison, according to a former congressman hired to study the issue.

Steve Gunderson briefed the Board of Regents Thursday, Feb. 8, on his recommendations for how UW System campuses can capture more federal grants and contracts.

Gunderson, who represented Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District for several years, was hired by the UW System in December to study the issue. He is managing director and senior consultant of The Greystone Group Inc., a strategic planning and communications firm based in Grand Rapids, Mich.

He says the system’s federal relations program should build on the long-time success of UW–Madison, which consistently ranks near the top of public research universities in federal funding. Of nearly $370 million the UW System received in federal funds during 1999-2000, UW–Madison received $347.4 million, or 94 percent of the total.

“There needs to be a sensitivity to the positive history of UW–Madison’s federal relations activities,” Gunderson told the regents as he presented his report. “The first rule is do no harm.”

Rhonda Norsetter, special assistant to Chancellor John Wiley for federal relations, is appreciative of the sensitivity given in Gunderson’s report to UW–Madison’s strong relationship with the Wisconsin congressional delegation and federal agencies.

“I am pleased the report recognizes UW–Madison’s position as one of the nation’s leading research universities, and that the UW System initiative plans to build on that success,” Norsetter says.

Gunderson’s recommendations include designing a federal relations strategy; developing a partnership with the state’s congressional delegation, which he emphasized is eager to work with the UW System; identifying three to five system-wide priorities; and building on opportunities available in Congress.

Those opportunities, he adds, include but are not limited to health care, international education, agricultural research, intellectual property issues, teacher training, child care, school reform and rural health research.

UW System President Katharine Lyall says the goal of the federal relations program is for UW campuses to make an even greater contribution to Wisconsin through higher federal support for university research.

“Our intent is to help our comprehensive campuses, plus UW-Extension, the UW Colleges and UW-Milwaukee, do an even better job of matching the academic and research strengths of the faculty with available federal grant programs,” Lyall says.

“UW-Madison already does this extremely well. We’d like the rest of the UW System to become more competitive for grants and more aggressive about seeking them,” Lyall adds.

Gunderson encourages the UW System to continue to follow the competitive peer review process to obtain federal grants and contracts, as opposed to seeking federal funds for specific projects, known as earmarking. Lyall says the UW System remains opposed to earmarking.

Lyall will soon appoint a federal relations council comprised of regents, chancellors and system administrators to implement the program. The UW System expects to hire a full-time federal relations officer this spring.

Gunderson’s study grew out of a priority identified at the Wisconsin Economic Summit: Bring home more federal dollars to the UW System. Wisconsin ranks 39th among states in federal tax dollars returned for public works, social spending and other programs, according to system administrators.