University of Wisconsin funding in limbo over diversity programs

A vote on funding for the University of Wisconsin was suspended in the state Assembly Tuesday, June 13, as Republicans looked to defund the university’s diversity and inclusion programs. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R, estimated the cuts would total $32 million.

“I hope we have the ability to eliminate that spending. The university should have already chosen to redirect it to something that is more productive and more broadly supported,” Vos told The Associated Press. “I want the university to grow and succeed, but if they are obsessed with spending all the scarce dollars that they have on programs that are clearly divisive and offer little public good, I don’t know why we’d want to support that.”

After nearly seven hours of closed-door discussions Tuesday, the Finance Committee could not come to an agreement and postponed consideration of the university’s budget. The Assembly is expected to complete its budget plan by the end of June.

University of Wisconsin spokesperson Mark Pitsch said salaries for current system employees specifically tasked with working on diversity, equity and inclusion programs amount to roughly $15.6 million annually. That number does not include funding for diversity events or other initiatives.

If the budget cuts Vos proposed are passed, the UW System could come up nearly half a billion dollars short of what school officials say they need over the next two years. The fallout could land on the backs of students as university leaders look to fill gaps in funding.

The suspension of the University of Wisconsin funding vote generated a wave of angry reactions from Gov. Tony Evers and other Democrats. Gov. Evers will have the opportunity to make adjustments to the budget using partial vetoes, or send it back to lawmakers for revisions.

“Make no mistake, Speaker Vos and Republicans’ short-sighted move to gut our UW system by tens of millions of dollars is about one thing – Republicans’ decade-long war on higher education institutions in our state,” Evers said in a statement. “These cuts will be disastrous for our UW System, almost certainly causing cuts to campuses and critical programs statewide, and will only hurt our kids, our state’s economy, and our state’s workforce in the process.”

The fight over the University of Wisconsin reflects a broader cultural battle playing out across the nation over college diversity programs. According to an Associated Press analysis done in April, Republican lawmakers have proposed more than 30 bills in 12 states to limit diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in higher education in 2023.