Wisconsin
Universities of Wisconsin campuses in need of increased revenue, new budget
STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) – Some Universities of Wisconsin campuses are struggling with enrollment numbers, but at UW-Stevens Point, enrollment has been going up on the main campus for the last three years.
With an increase in enrollment comes added revenue.
Universities of Wisconsin President and Wausau native Jay Rothman is asking Governor Tony Evers to approve an additional $457 million for the 2025-27 school year for Wisconsin to grow in ranking for national public funding.
Wisconsin currently ranks 43rd out of 50 states for national public funding. Rothman says he knows tuition and other college expenses are going up for students across the state.
This new budget could eliminate some of those concerns.
“Whether that be career advising, whether that be academic advising, mental health services, funding for internships and undergraduate research, all which help with retention,” Rothman said.
He says this is something the state should address sooner than later.
“This reflects at least a decade of neglect for our university system, and we think Wisconsin deserves better than that,” Rothman said. “More importantly, the citizens and the residents deserve better than that.”
If approved, this new budget wouldn’t happen until next year. However, UWSP will see a more than seven percent increase this year thanks to an influx of students.
With this new budget, they have plans for this school year and beyond.
“We’re also providing a new online option for our MBA program in decision-making and leadership,” USWP Chancellor Thomas Gibson said. “We’re equally as excited about our new Master of Social Work, which will launch next summer.”
Part of the university’s agenda is to grow beyond the state.
“We’re seeking to attract additional numbers of international students, and we partnered with a third-party vendor that’s going to support us in a number of these different markets, and that work actually begins this fall,” Gibson explained.
Another focus is leaning toward growing bachelor’s degree programs, not associate degree programs, as well as keeping students engaged in the classroom.
Copyright 2024 WSAW. All rights reserved.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly announced Tuesday the launch of a new statewide project focusing on shaping the future of education and student success.
Portrait of a Graduate was created by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to help prepare high school students for life after high school, including college, careers and community leadership.
With students having to navigate new challenges involving technology, the cost of living and evolving career paths, the project was created to give students the knowledge, skills and experiences they need, no matter what post-graduate path they take.
“We want to broaden Wisconsin’s vision for student success,” Dr. Underly said. “The world our students are preparing to enter is changing quickly, and it is critical that we hear directly from the people who know our communities best. Academic rigor is always a top priority and will not change, but we also need to ensure students leave our schools prepared to think critically, adapt, communicate, solve problems, and thrive.”
A committee of educators, students, higher education partners, statewide education organizers, employers and representatives from industries across Wisconsin is helping guide the project.
The Department of Public Instruction will be holding virtual listening sessions scheduled for May 27 from noon to 1 p.m. and June 3 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Registration for the session or more information can be found on the Department of Public Instruction’s website.
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Copyright 2026 WMTV. All rights reserved.
Yes
A deal between Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders to give Wisconsin income tax filers a rebate would have excluded about 30% of filers.
That’s because the deal provided rebates up to $300 for individuals and $600 for married joint filers only to residents who paid state income taxes for 2024.
The deal, which failed to pass in the state Senate, also reduced property taxes, increased funding for schools and ended taxes on tips and some overtime pay.
According to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, about 2.1 million residents would have received the rebates. Based on that and the U.S. Census estimates, 55% of adults would not be eligible for tax rebates based on not having owed taxes or because they did not file a return. Of those who filed, about 26% were not eligible for a rebate, LFB estimated.
This fact brief responds to conversations like this one.
Sources
Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau, Estimated Distribution of Individual Income Tax Rebate under May 2026 Special Session LRB-6707 and LRB-6710 (“the bill”),
U.S. Census, Age and Sex
Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Individual Income Tax – Filing Requirements
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel collaborated with Wisconsin Watch to develop this fact brief. Wisconsin Watch is a member of the Gigafact program, newsrooms across the U.S. that deliver bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read more about our methodology at jsonline.com/FactBriefMethods.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Wisconsin officials sent out a statewide alert Monday for a missing 69-year-old woman who was last seen on Friday in Stoughton.
Authorities said the family of Pamela Mael last spoke to her around 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22.
Mael was last seen in the 800 block of West Main Street, in Stoughton, Wisconsin Department of Justice said in the Silver Alert.
Her family members told the Stoughton Police Department that she has potentially declined cognitively and has been sick for the last two months.
The alert noted Mael’s vehicle was last seen around 3 p.m. Sunday heading south on Highway 14, near Highway 92, outside of Brooklyn. Mael drives a 2005 red Toyota Camry with license plate number AUA5536.
On the driver’s side rear window of Mael’s car, she has a red bear paw sticker that says Ho-Chunk.
Police described Mael as being 5-feet-3-inches tall, weighing about 112 pounds and having brown eyes and brown hair.
Mael has tattoos that are colored black, white or red. The Silver Alert said she has a dream catcher tattoo on her right upper arm, a flower on her left shoulder, a wolf howling at the moon on her left calf, a pair of dice on her left foot and an infinity sign with the names Zachary and Shelby on her left forearm.
Anyone who sees her was asked to call the Stoughton Police Department at 608-873-3374.
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Copyright 2026 WMTV. All rights reserved.
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