Republican lawmakers approved a plan to cut the University of Wisconsin System’s budget by $32 million, despite an estimated $7-billion state budget surplus. The vote was 12-4 along party lines, resulting in 190 job cuts on university campuses.
The move has been driven in part by frustration with DEI initiatives across the system’s 13 universities. Governor Tony Evers vowed to veto the Wisconsin university system budget if it reduces funding for DEI offices, in response to a vote by regents to cut back on such programs.
Republicans projected that $32 million will be spent on diversity, equity, and inclusion or DEI programs over two years and argued that the funds should be used to prepare the state’s workforce instead.
At a press briefing, Republican State Representative Mark Born expressed optimism that the state’s employers would prioritize workforce development and the future of the state. “We’re hopeful they’re going to be ready to do that as we move forward,” he said.
Before the vote, Democratic Representative Evan Goyke decried the plan as “garbage,” arguing it sent a “painful message to communities of color, people of color around Wisconsin.”
Before the Joint Finance Committee vote, Republican Alex Dallman of Green Lake called DEI programs an unnecessary expense with little practical value, highlighting measures taken to meet the need for nurses, engineers, and data scientists in Wisconsin.
The budget cut came despite warnings from UW President Jay Rothman that tuition increases and potential campus closures could follow. “This will diminish student access and affordability at our public universities,” he said in a statement, calling the move “a missed opportunity and a significant setback” to the state’s efforts to attract talent.
Governor Tony Evers, a former member of the UW Board of Regents, threatened to veto the state budget if the university’s funding were cut despite a surplus in state funds, calling it “irrational.”
UW Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin voiced her support on June 29 for the school’s DEI employees, lauding their role in supporting veterans, students with disabilities, and first-generation and minority students. “They play a critical role on campus,” she said in a statement.
