<p>While we had to endure the shrill complaints over the cost of the Madison Initiative by one poster (how's Illinois working for you now?) for far too long, it is apparent that Biddy means business and is not about typical academic self-study and delay. Good job and looking forward to more positive moves from the BM administration. UW has a real strong leader. Something it has needed.</p>
<p>The</a> Badger Herald: News: Thanks to Madison Initiative, FIGs on track for fall expansion</p>
<p>Barrons,</p>
<p>I see you’re continuing to play low-ball with Illinois because a CC poster left a bad taste in your mouth. It reflects poorly on you. And Illinois, where tuition is fixed over a 4 year period, only went up at an annual rate of about 4.5%. What was Wisconsin’s tuition increase this year? My son’s been directly admitted into Aerospace engineering there. No competition for limited engineering spots as is the case at Wisconsin during sophomore year. So, actually, while my son seriously considered Wisconsin, and would have been happy to attend regardless of the Madison Initiative, Illinois, for a variety of reasons, was a much better fit. The net cost by the way, beat Wisconsin by a fair bit even in the first year.</p>
<p>To students still deciding which school to attend- UW is not only maintaining the status quo for undergrad education in these hard economic times, it is improving academic opportinities for freshmen.</p>
<p>Balthezar–just endure it. I don’t put up with ninny posters making continuous crazy posts. If you wish to fine. Also BTW Illinois can’t even support the universities with money they were promised so you can take your Illinois is great song elsewhere too as far as I’m concerned. Keep telling everyone how great Illinois is as the checks start bouncing on payday.From COHE</p>
<p>[A</a> University President, Fighting for Every Nickel - Leadership & Governance - The Chronicle of Higher Education](<a href=“http://chronicle.com/article/A-University-President/64961/]A”>http://chronicle.com/article/A-University-President/64961/)
Carbondale, Ill.</p>
<p>The predicament of Southern Illinois University is plain to see in the condition of the engineering building’s leaking chiller, which has been rigged up with an aluminum gutter and a couple of garden hoses for drainage. Like so many things on this campus, it is slowly deteriorating, and there is no money coming from the state to fix it.</p>
<p>Illinois’s state-budget deficit, at $13-billion, is one of the worst in the country. And it follows years of lackluster support for higher education. Over the past nine months, the state has failed to pay the regular amounts that it has promised to Southern Illinois, forcing it to juggle money just to make payroll. The university has already cut $13-million from its budget, and now it may have to fight off a state-budget rescission that could force officials here and on the smaller Edwardsville campus to lay off one of every six employees.</p>
<p>“There is no good outlook financially for this state, and therefore there is not one for the universities,” says Glenn W. Poshard, the university’s president. He maintains that there may be a way out of this mess that doesn’t hurt the working-class students that SIU attracts—a tough decision to raise taxes might be one big step. But he wonders about the political fortitude to find that way: “If there is a will to do it, there are consequences to be paid, politically or otherwise. But isn’t that what leadership is about?”</p>
<p>When Mr. Poshard discusses tough political choices and their consequences, he knows what he’s talking about. A blue-collar, populist-style Democrat who is a former state senator, Congressman, and gubernatorial candidate, he has been a persistent, even provocative, voice advocating for higher education in the Capitol—a role that may provide lessons for college leaders in cash-strapped states across the country.</p>
<p>UW admits students to limited enrollment programs by actual college performance–not what they did in HS. Either method has merit. The vast majority get into the program they want.</p>
<p>“The net cost by the way, beat Wisconsin by a fair bit even in the first year.”</p>
<p>Shouldn’t UIUC be cheaper than UW if you are an Illinois resident?</p>
<p>I love the new initiative (especially becasue MN students don’t have any increased costs due to it) but do we really need to keep on Illinois because of it? I think Madison’s improvements can stand by themselves without having to rip into other universities.</p>
<p>If you were not here for the Jifsmom (sp?) fiasco last year, well you just won’t understand it now. The woman went on for a year here and on the Illinois board about how UW had somehow been fraudulent in passing the Madison Initiative which would increase tuition. Apparently she was not personally notified that the program was under consideration despite the fact that it got tons of press in Wisconsin and was frequently featured on the UW website well before it was approved. She finally disappeared just a month or two ago when it came out that Illinois was so broke it could not give promised funding to the universities for an unknown time period. Now it might not be “nice” to bring up such an issue but if somebody is considering both schools they should know one currently has a state government that is a fiscal fiasco and that will negatively impact the university (as it has according to many press reports). UW got plenty of bad press and negative comments here when it had some profs leaving a few years ago due to higher pay at other schools.Facts are not always favorable. I really try to stay with facts.</p>
<p>Barrons–neither do I. I’m not on the Wisconsin thread utilizing the “Illinois is great” song. I’m on this thread because my son was admitted to Wisconsin this year, and at UIUC. I’m happy he was admitted to both institutions. They’re both great places to get an education. What I’ll do, however, is put into perspective, cheap-shot comments about Illinois that are unnecessary in a thread about “The Madison Initiative”. Most states, Wisconsin included, are under severe budget pressure. You quote the president of SIU. Talk about a tangential connection to UIUC, the state’s flagship. Yes, they are having budget issues, and as they have “through those years of lack-luster support”, they’ll do what is necessary to not only preserve, but enhance the quality of education received by its students, just like the Wisconsin flagship is doing through the Madison Initiative. UIUC is much less dependent, as a percentage of revenue, on the state than are the other state universities, so the state’s budget crisis impacts UIUC operations much less. Not that it’s not having a affect on UIUC, but that’s why they’re raising tuition, and trimming costs.</p>
<p>You’re a passionate and informed poster with regard to Wisconsin, and I find your posts for the most part informative, but it just reflects poorly on you when you feel the need to denigrate other institutions of higher education because you have a problem with a poster who decided to complain about Wisconsin.</p>
<p>Stooge-For my son, yes, Illinois worked out much better financially, and not only because he’s instate. Wisconsin’s financial Aid package consisted of $5,500 in federal loans, so, for us, that eliminated it from consideration. FYI, still in the running for us are Notre Dame and Purdue where substantial financial aid was offered that make them financially competitive with UIUC.</p>
<p>Another article on MI implementation. Hopefully these will reduce the complaints over getting into some required classes.</p>
<p>[The</a> Badger Herald: News: UW departments use MIU grants to expand](<a href=“http://badgerherald.com/news/2010/04/08/uw_departments_use_m.php]The”>http://badgerherald.com/news/2010/04/08/uw_departments_use_m.php)</p>