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La Crosse student and faculty leaders will travel to Madison later this week to seek UW System Board of Regents’ approval for its Growth, Quality and Access plan.
“The implications for the future of the university and the community are huge in terms of enhancing the quality of the university, stimulating the local economy and increasing our visibility in the region,” said UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow.
The board of regents will vote on the plan Friday, assuming the Business, Finance and Audit Committee recommends it Thursday.
The plan is a modified version of UW-L’s Growth and Access proposal that failed to be included in the 2007-09 state budget.
The new plan seeks to grow enrollment by at least 500 students and hire at least 75 more faculty and 20 other staff within five years. It would be funded with a differential tuition charge for incoming students, starting in fall 2008.
Additional financial aid for students from low- and middle-income families would come from $664,800 in revenue provided by the new state budget.
Members of UW-L’s Student Association plan to give the regents results from both a student referendum and a student senate vote that supported the plan.
The online referendum drew 2,298 responses among 8,295 undergraduate students, who were the only ones polled since they alone will be affected by the plan. The results: 1,877 yes to 421 no.
Regent Brent Smith said student support is a key consideration for the board. “Here we have a pretty clear indication of that by the vote,” he said.
David Giroux, the UW System director of communications and relations, said the regents also will consider the broader support for the plan from business leaders, the community and local elected officials.
“This is the first time I’ve seen this kind of grassroots involvement in an initiative of this kind,” said Giroux.
State Rep. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, said she will be among the elected officials at Thursday’s committee meeting to show her support.
“It is helpful to the board of regents to know that the university has the support of its elected officials in moving forward with this revised plan,” she said.
State Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, thinks the new proposal does improve on the original growth and access plan, said Mike Mikalsen, a spokesman for Nass.
Nass early on had outlined a number of conditions needed to gain his support on the revised plan.
One was it had to be approved in a student referendum that included 10 percent of the student body. UW-L’s referendum exceed that requirement, noted Mikalsen.
Nass also had been uncomfortable with the validity of the online survey because students could have voted numerous times, whereas the referendum allowed only one vote, said Mikalsen.
The student survey results will be presented at the regents meeting, along with a faculty senate resolution and a UW-L Academic Staff Council resolution that both unanimously approved the plan.
KJ Lang can be reached at (608) 791-8226 or klang@lacrossetribune.com.
