Friends of Badgers United,
It is anything but an understatement to claim that the COVID-19 crisis will have a significant permanent impact on higher education. In these tumultuous times, we have been working hard to ensure that the values and needs of our flagship university remain top of mind for the public and for state legislators. We hope you’ll find meaning in our monthly newsletter which is designed to let you know how we are making an impact for the betterment of Wisconsin.
-Lynda Patterson FASAE, CAE (AMPED),
Executive Director Badgers United
UW IN THE NEWS:
UW-Madison to Begin Fall Classes as Scheduled on September 2
Chancellor Becky Blank outlined the university’s plans in a recent update.
It is both important and reassuring that the administration is prioritizing the health of students and staff, but the cost to ensure safety will undoubtedly be extreme. The extreme financial need will call for more state support for the flagship university.
Tommy Thompson Selected as Interim UW System President
Ex-Governor Tommy Thompson has been selected to head the UW System for the next 18 months. The original selection, Dr. Jim Johnsen of the University of Alaska System, withdrew his name from consideration after a difficult search resulted in a single finalist and criticism ensued.
Thompson’s appointment has been pleasantly received on a bipartisan scale. His first few remarks as President have made it clear he values the impact of our universities in Wisconsin.
COVID-19 IMPACT ON UW-MADISON
As students left campus this spring, our flagship university faced an anticipated $100 million in losses from the partially-remote semester.
Ensuring a safe reopening in the fall will undoubtedly add to this financial strain. For continued success, the state will need to allocate resources to the University.
Stay tuned this month as we welcome upcoming guests, Regent Regina Millner and Deputy of Athletic Director Chris McIntosh to the podcast.
In the meantime, catch up on past episodes.
BADGER UNITED CONVERSATIONS
A tweet thread from @Badgers_United went viral amongst those concerned with higher education’s future, showing over 1 million times. Outlining the “perfect storm” of decreasing state support coupled with COVID-19 losses, the educational thread outlines how vulnerable our flagship university is.
FOLLOW US:
HOW WE’RE MAKING AN IMPACT
EDUCATE
Statewide educational organization (501 c3 tax-exempt organization)
ADVOCATE
Capitol lobbying organization (donations not disclosed, not tax-deductible).
SUPPORT
Organization to raise and contribute money to campaigns of candidates likely to advance UW-Madison interests.
June 2020
Badgers United focused on the following:
- Mounting COVID-19 Losses
- UW-Madison’s Reopening
- Ray Cross’s Flexible Funding and Blueprint Plans
- Tommy Thompson appointment as Interim UW System President