1999-2001 Biennial Budget
ACTION BY JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE ON UW BUDGET
May 25, 1999
The Joint Finance Committee took action on the UW System budget today. The following items are of interest to UW-Madison:
Funding for UW-Madison
- Reduced the student share of the Madison Initiative by $6.9 million to restore the traditional 65 GPR/35 tuition funding formula for new initiatives. As a result Madison would receive $15 million in GPR and $8.1 million in tuition revenue for the Madison Initiative.
- Statutorily required that funds used for competitive compensation be used solely for recruitment and retention purposes and not merely for merit based increases.
Funding for Libraries
- Approved the Governor's recommendations to increase the library budget by $1.6 million GPR in 1999-00 and $3.2 million GPR in 2000-01.
Instructional Technology
- Decreased funding for training of student IT workers by $920,000 in 2000-01. This will provide funding to train 340 workers instead of 800 in that year, the same number as in 1999-2000.
- Implemented a number of reporting requirements related to IT positions.
- Required the UW to develop a plan to retain student IT workers that receive IT training with this funding.
International Education
- Reduced funding for study abroad grants by $500,000 GPR in 1999-2000 (one-half of what the Governor recommended).
- Statutorily required the Board of Regents to award need-based study abroad grants of $2,000 each to UW undergraduates who qualify.
- Approved the Governor's recommendation to develop a bachelor's degree program in global studies at UW-Milwaukee.
- Deleted funding recommended by the Governor for business development initiatives ($97,500 GPR and $52,500 PR.
Tuition Revenue Expenditure Authority (Continuing Appropriation)
- Rejected the Governor's recommendation to change the appropriation for tuition and fee revenue from an annual, sum certain appropriation to a continuing appropriation.
- Included language to allow the Board of Regents to use funding from the existing 104/107 tuition flexibility for any unfunded portion of the pay plan approved for faculty and academic staff.
GPR Position Authority
- Rejected the Governor's recommendation to allow the Board of Regents to increase the number of positions funded in whole or in part by GPR by 1 percent above the base level during 1999-01.
Area Health Education Centers
- Approved an additional $125,000 GPR annually to the AHEC budget and an additional $125,000 GPR annually to the Joint Finance Committee appropriation for release to AHEC to the extent federal funding is not forthcoming.
- Deleted the requirement that the UW Medical School jointly administer the AHEC program with the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) after October 1, 1999.
State Laboratory of Hygiene
- Approved an additional $158,400 PR over the biennium and transferred position authority for 2.0 vacant positions to the State Lab of Hygiene appropriation funded with OWI surcharge revenues.
Pre-college Programs
- Deleted the $732,600 recommended by the Governor for pre-college programs.
- Transferred $173,300 GPR in base level funding for pre-college programs from the University's general program appropriations to the UW appropriation for programs for minority and disadvantaged students.
- Increased funding for the Lawton minority undergraduate grant program and the Advanced Opportunity Program by 4.92 in 1999-2000 and 4.97 in 2000-01.
Advising and Student Services
- Approved the Governor's recommendation to provide $1.95 million in tuition revenue and 28.5 positions to improve academic, career and transfer student advising efforts.
Early Writing and Mathematics Placement
- Rejected the Governor's recommendation to provide funding to support the costs of administering the early mathematics placement test and for the development of an early writing assessment program.
Freestanding Motions
- Provided $250,000 GPR to UW-Milwaukee to undertake a market research and feasibility study relating to expanding the University's programming and presence overseas. (Sen. Burke)
- Provided $125,000 in one-time funds for UW-Madison to provide grants to research the properties of ginseng. The Ginseng Board of Wisconsin would be required to match 20 of the amount provided. (Sen. Decker)
- Required UW System to study the feasibility of expanding the offering of four-year and graduate degree programs at UW-Marathon County. Required that the funding for the study would have to be raised from private or local govt. funds. (Rep. Huber)