UW-La Crosse one of only 3 UW System campuses to avoid running deficit by end of 2023-2024 school year, Rothman says

Rothman has repeatedly warned changes need to be made to make sure the UW System remains financially sustainable. Earlier this year, the Board of Regents approved a roughly 5% tuition and fee increase for resident undergraduate students for the first time in a decade.

Following a Wisconsin Policy Forum report last month that found the state ranks 43rd in per-pupil funding for four-year campuses, Rothman said "[s]upport for the UW System should not continue to fall further behind nationally if we are to be competitive and thrive economically."

That ranking -- and a subsequent report from the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association putting Wisconsin at 42nd in the country -- comes as the system continues to push for more state funding, an effort that has typically been a losing battle over the past decade.

The new @SHEEOed State Higher Education Finance report is out for the most recent year: public funding for @UWSystem is still among the lowest in the country, 42nd of 50 states. https://t.co/owGLkQd6Mn A thread 👇

— Jay Rothman (@JayORothman) May 25, 2023

While Rothman is relatively new to the role, he's hopeful something will come to pass.

"We have to move ourselves up. If we're going to be successful in winning the war for talent, we want them to remain accessible and affordable to students and prospective students," he said, "but we need the state to participate with us as well."

Failure to adequately fund the state's universities, he warned, would have ripple effects felt across Wisconsin.

"When we are at the bottom of public funding nationally, we can't fulfill our potential. And all Wisconsinites will suffer," he said.

Rothman also did not rule out the possibility of closing other campuses if the deficit issue isn't resolved. UW-Platteville at Richland in Richland Center is slated to close in July.

News 3 Now's Naomi Kowles contributed to this report.

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