UW Regents approve Republican deal to trade diversity positions for project funding

Listen to this article

The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents on Wednesday approved a deal with Republican state lawmakers that will raise pay for university employees and cover construction of an engineering building in Madison in exchange for cutting back campus diversity and inclusion efforts.

The board that night voted 11-6, a reversal of its Saturday rejection. The deal will limit certain diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, such as recruitment programs for faculty and increasing diversity-related positions for example. However, the Legislature will enumerate construction of a $347 million engineering building at UW – Madison, according to the proposal.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who helped arrange the deal with system leadership, posted, “this is just the first step in what will be our continuing efforts to eliminate these cancerous DEI practices on UW campuses.”

Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, called the vote a “vast overreach” by a group of Republican lawmakers. He added they were “unconstitutionally obstructing” pay raises and investments that were already approved in his previous budget in July.

In June, the Joint Finance Committee rejected Evers’ proposal to pay for a new engineering building at the Madison campus. The project will cost around $347 million in current dollars and is both privately and publicly funded. In November a group of business leaders including construction and engineering firms called on the state to enumerate the expansion.

As part of the agreement, the Legislature has until February 2024 to grant $45.5 million for different universities to cover demolition of unused or uninhabitable facilities of state campuses. Some of the proposed projects are ongoing, such as the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee chemistry building.

The deal will also shape how the UW System approaches admissions. Under the agreement, the system must automatically admit top performers from state high schools.

On Wednesday, Regent president Karen Walsh, Regent vice president Amy Blumenfeld Bogost, members Bob Atwell, Héctor Colόn, Mike Jones, Jim Kreuser, Cris Peterson, Ashok Rai, Jennifer Staton, Mark Tyler and Kyle Weatherly voted “yes.”

Members Angela Adams, Evan Brenkus, Edmund Manydeeds III, John Miller, Joan Prince and Dana Wachs voted “no.”

Jill Underly, the state superintendent, requested the vote to be rescheduled as she was out of the state. She was listed not present at the meeting.