Regents vote against legislative compromise resolution

Dec. 13 update: The Board of Regents voted 11-6 to adopt the package.

The Board of Regents of the Universities of Wisconsin voted 9-8 against a resolution that would have endorsed a compromise proposal between the Universities of Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and legislative leadership.

The decision took place during a special meeting of the board on Saturday, Dec. 9.

The proposal would have allowed the already-funded employee pay plan to move forward, restored $32 million in funding stripped from the 2023-2025 biennium, funded UW–Madison’s engineering building and made other capital investments for UW–Madison and elsewhere throughout the system.

The Universities of Wisconsin, including UW–Madison, would have capped administrative positions, made limited changes to DEI staffing, and admitted the top 5 percent of Wisconsin high school graduates to UW–Madison and the top 10 percent of high school graduates to other campuses, based on GPA.

UW–Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said the compromise would have allowed the university and the Universities of Wisconsin to hold onto core values, including commitments to diversity, inclusivity and belonging, while also addressing other critical priorities.

“I recognize this was an imperfect compromise, but I nonetheless supported it as the best way to move the priorities of our campus forward,” said Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin on Saturday.  “I’m disappointed at the outcome of the Board of Regents vote but respect the board’s decision.”

“I will continue to work with Universities of Wisconsin leadership, the Regents, legislative leaders and the governor on these important issues over the coming weeks and months,” she added.

“On balance, I believe this proposed agreement was in the best interests of the Universities of Wisconsin,” said Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman. “While I am disappointed, I respect the decision of the Board of Regents.”

UW–Madison leaders have pledged to keep campus informed, particularly as any additional information about the employee pay plan becomes available.