As a result of 40 positions eliminated, 42 fewer courses were offered
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Pointing to the assortment of facts and figures that are available at her fingertips, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor Beverly Kopper said she is concerned — very, very concerned.
Kopper, who is nearing the end of her first year as the head of UW-Whitewater, spoke to the Whitewater Common Council on April 19 on the impact state budget cuts have had on the university.
In a deviation from normal practice, the council held its April 19 meeting at UW-Whitewater’s campus.
Across Wisconsin, the amount of funding directly from the state budget has been cut more than in half, Kopper said. In the 2009-2010 school year, the state dolled out $21.1 million to public universities. This year, $9.6 million was disbursed.
As a campus with growing enrollment, Kopper said UW-Whitewater has been able to offset some of the state cuts — that is, until this year.
“This is the first time I would say there has been an impact on students,” Kopper said. “I’m very concerned about that as I look at the progress of our students as they try working toward their degrees.”
At the beginning of the school year, Kopper said UW-Whitewater cut 40 full-time equivalency positions, which, in turn, resulted in 42 fewer course offerings to students.
Kopper also expressed concern with the methodology in distributing state funds to public universities, though she said she was hopeful changes might come down the line. The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents is tasked with creating the formula.
When asked how specifically the distribution currently is handled, Kopper said, “I haven’t gotten a sufficient answer to that question.”
