Chancellor’s statement on conference committee’s version of the state budget

(Note: The following is a statement by Chancellor John Wiley on the conference committee’s version of the state budget.)

“We would like to thank the legislative leaders from both parties for their support of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The budget they have negotiated represents a major victory for the state, UW–Madison and our students.

“The budget provides $24 million for the Madison Initiative, which completes the partnership between the state’s taxpayers, students, and our alumni and donors. The investment will lead to new jobs, new business development and a generation of college graduates prepared for the higher-quality jobs of the future.

“The budget supports another pivotal component of the state’s high-tech economy by fully funding BioStar. BioStar is a public-private partnership that modernizes teaching and research space for the biosciences, laying a solid foundation for continued growth in the state’s biotechnology business sector. With the state’s commitment, UW–Madison will be able to raise the private matching funds necessary for the project’s success.

“We are also pleased the conference committee rejected a ban on stem cell research in Wisconsin. The ban would have ended one of the most promising avenues for cures of many diseases and would have discouraged the biotechnology industry from doing business in Wisconsin.

“We appreciate the conference committee’s show of strong support for the university as evidenced by this budget and encourage the entire legislature and Governor McCallum to leave these initiatives intact as they consider the budget proposal.”