Frederica Freyberg:

Now for an update from the UW System. UW Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank spoke this week about her hopes for funding increases in the state budget. The system lost $250 million dollars in state funding over the last two years. And Blank said funding has been cut in five of the last six biannual budgets or ten of the last twelve years.

Rebecca Blank:

That means we and the UW system’s goals haven’t been able to invest in the way we need and that’s really problematic because our competitors are investing. So Mark and I, the chancellors of the UW schools are really making the argument in this budget year that it’s time to reinvest in Wisconsin.

Frederica Freyberg:

Governor Walker has proposed an increase in funding for the UW System most of which will be tied to performance but Blank said in her speech she’s worried that could disappear if May revenue projections are low.