To: all employee, herzij35, rubyd84
From: Chancellor Richard Wells <wellsr@uwosh.edu>
Subject: Update on Budget
Cc:
Bcc:
Date: Thu, 07 Jul 2005 08:11:54 -0500


Memo to All UW Oshkosh employees, Student Leaders, Foundation Board, and Chancellor’s Councils of Advisors
Thursday July 7, 2005

As you may know, the Assembly approved on Tuesday, July 5, the changes made by the Senate to the 2005-07 state budget, which cuts additional funds out of the Governor’s budget.  We are extremely disappointed by some of the new provisions including the requirement that all unclassified and non-representative state employees make a 1.5% contribution to their pension fund.

The budget now goes to Governor Jim Doyle, and I have been asked by UW System President Kevin Reilly to make a presentation to the full Board of Regents on Thursday, July 7, explaining how these additional cuts and provisions would adversely affect the faculty, staff, and students at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. The purpose of my presentation is to provide the Board of Regents with information on how these cuts would cause irreparable damage to the UW institutions.

I have attached the material I will draw on in making this presentation.  Please understand that the harmful consequences for the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh will be presented as REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KINDS OF COSTS ALL UW INSTITUTIONS WILL BEAR if these cuts are not vetoed by Governor Doyle.

As you know we will have over the 2003-05 and 2005-07 biennia cut $9.3 million out of areas other than direct instruction. If the Governor does not veto the additional $2.7 million cuts, then we will not be able to continue to protect direct instruction.  Should this come to pass, we would have cut $12 million of funding of which $2 million or 16.6% would have to come from funding for direct instruction. 

While we remain confident that the Governor will veto, among other things, the 1.5% employee contribution to the pension fund and the additional funding cuts, we must remain diligent in making the case for the UW institutions, students, faculty and staff.

The Board of Regents will meet this morning from 10:00AM  12 NOON. The meeting, including my
presentation, will be aired live via webcast. The webcast may be found at   http://www.uwex.edu/ics/stream/regents/meetings/.