Germantown, Wi – When I first saw the University of Wisconsin System’s request for $855 million in new state funding for the 2025–27 biennium, I was taken aback. The demand for across-the-board raises, expanded programs, and shiny infrastructure might sound appealing on paper—but it all comes at a time when Wisconsin families are already stretched thin. As a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars, I must demand that a funding increase of this magnitude come with real reforms and accountability. Yes, our public universities have important needs, but the UW System must first prove it has cleaned up its own house. Right now, the evidence points in the opposite direction.
Administrative bloat is not a partisan talking point—it’s a documented trend. UW’s total expenses jumped 16.4% in just one year (2021–22 to 2022–23), hitting $6.4 billion, with salaries and benefits alone consuming 64% of that total. Between 2012 and 2022, administrative spending per undergraduate student soared from $13,300 to $16,700. At UW–Madison, the ratio of non-instructional to instructional staff is now 4 to 1. Across the system, only 15% of employees actually teach. That means every faculty member is effectively assisted or managed by six administrators. No private business could sustain this kind of top-heavy operation. Why should Wisconsin taxpayers be expected to?
UW leadership has frequently promised “efficiency” and “streamlining,” yet they’ve poured $212 million into the so-called Administrative Transformation Program—an expensive IT centralization effort with little to show for it. UW spent over $51 million on outside consultants between 2019 and 2023 for this project alone. Satisfaction with administrative services has barely budged, rising from 3.81 to just 3.90 on a 5-point scale. That’s not streamlining—that’s spinning wheels at great taxpayer expense.
Chancellor salaries and bonuses also carry a whopping price tag. The UW System could pay for raises without squeezing taxpayers if executive compensation was reasonable—or performance-based. In July 2024, the Regents approved nearly $155,000 in pay hikes for eight chancellors. UW–Madison’s Chancellor Mnookin got a 10% raise—raising her salary from $811,512 to $892,663. Mnookin also stands to earn a $150,000 retention bonus, with further payouts totaling up to $350,000 by 2029. Other chancellors can earn up to 15% of base salary for meeting student‑retention goals. An audit conducted by the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau revealed the UW- Madison DEI office doled out $236,000 in bonuses in 2024, with some employees getting 8–9% one-time awards on base salaries. These are not frugal figures—they’re taxpayer-funded luxury.
While executive pay climbs, enrollment is falling. Six of the UW’s four-year campuses are projecting budget deficits in 2025. Several branch campuses have closed or consolidated. At a time when fewer students are enrolling, families are rightly asking why we’re pouring even more money into growing bureaucracy and bonuses.
And now, under the Governor’s proposal, $697 million in new general-purpose revenue (GPR) would be added to the UW budget. Over $190 million would go to salaries and benefits—enough to fund 1,600 new employees under the current staffing model, most of them non-teaching. Even more alarming, 53% of the new funds are “unallotted reserves,” meaning UW could spend more than half of its new funding however it pleases—no strings attached.
Enough is enough. Taxpayers and lawmakers must demand change before they allocate additional funds to UW. Systemic inefficiency and an overgrown bureaucracy won’t be corrected with a blank check. The UW System must earn these increases through transparency, fiscal discipline, and clear performance outcomes. Executive raises and bonuses should be frozen until enrollment and retention metrics improve. The compensation policy should be overhauled so that chancellor pay aligns with public sector norms, not elite private institutions. Administrative hiring should be capped, especially in non-teaching roles. And most importantly, funding should be tied directly to measurable results—graduation rates, affordability, and in-state student access—not vague diversity or bureaucratic goals.
Let me be clear: I want the UW System to thrive, but that won’t happen by enabling waste and unchecked expansion. Taxpayers deserve universities that educate—not embolden, not enrich, and certainly not excuse administrative excess. It’s time UW earned back our trust.
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