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All members of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh campus community are invited to attend an open forum on Wednesday, Feb. 27, from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. in Sage 1210.

The focus of this session will relate to Wisconsin’s 2013–2015 Biennial State Budget.

  • Governor Scott Walker will deliver his budget address to a joint session of the Wisconsin legislature at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
  • Immediately after the budget is introduced, staff from the University of Wisconsin System will begin a detailed review of that budget to determine the impact on the scope of statewide operations.
  • Our efforts on campus will also be focused on discerning how that budget responds to the clear themes that we articulated and that were endorsed by the Board of Regents as part of the System’s overall budget submission.

 

This open forum will present the opportunity to provide the latest information that is known as of the time of the forum. As done in past years, an effort to provide periodic summary notes to the campus community as the budget process moves through the Joint Finance Committee of the legislature.

In addition to this budget update, the forum will also review and discuss materials recently shared with the Board of Regents as an update to our strategic and operational planning. An area of renewed focus for us is the effort to improve student success and close achievement gaps. As noted in last fall’s Opening Day address, there are challenges in such areas as compensation and quality:

  • If our number one priority is a better education for students, the fundamental way to achieve that is to provide those people educating them … maximum opportunity to excel. That means … compensating them fairly and competitively.
  • Better educational quality leads to a better subsidized price for a better price-value for students and, ultimately, a better quality of life for more Americans.

 

As the 2013–2015 Biennial Budget works its way through the legislative process, work will continue with governance group leaders and the U-PLAN Council. We will expand levels of awareness as to the budget challenges and opportunities as we work to build participation, involvement and support from within our campus community and the extended region we jointly serve.

Finally, the time chosen for this open forum may not allow everyone who wants to attend the same opportunity to attend. Accordingly, the proceedings will be streamed live through the Web and recorded for subsequent viewing.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to contribute calendar items, campus announcements and other good news to UW Oshkosh Today.