Madison Initiative for Undergraduates: A Pledge to Quality, Value and Affordability

Chancellor Biddy Martin recently sat down with the editorial board of the Daily Cardinal to discuss the Madison Initiative, along other topics. Read the full story.

From the AP: Tuition will go up $250 per year for the next four years for most University of Wisconsin-Madison students.

The UW System Board of Regents voted Friday to approve Chancellor Biddy Martin’s plan to add a tuition surcharge of $250 next fall for in-state undergraduates and $750 for students from other states. Read the full story.

From the Capital Times: Less than nine months after arriving from Cornell University, Biddy Martin is on the verge of pushing through her first major initiative as chancellor of UW-Madison.

On Thursday, the UW System Board of Regents’ Business, Finance and Budget Committee debated the merits of Martin’s Madison Initiative for Undergraduates before easily giving the plan the green light to move forward.
The proposal will likely be approved when the full board meets Friday at UW-Milwaukee. Read the full story.

From the Daily Cardinal: Chancellor Biddy Martin will officially propose the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates to the UW System Board of Regents Thursday.

Martin will attend the meeting in Milwaukee and submit her proposal to the Business, Finance and Audit Committee, according to John Lucas, a spokesperson for UW-Madison. Read the full story.

From the Badger Herald: University of Wisconsin student leaders and campus administrators met informally Sunday night at Chancellor Biddy Martin’s house to reflect on the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates and to look forward to the vote on the proposal by the Board of Regents Thursday. Read the full story. 

From the Badger Herald: The University of Wisconsin Book Store announced Thursday it will give $25,000 to go toward student scholarships.

The amount is the Book Store’s second gift to its Board of Trustees People Scholarship, which provides financial aid to students annually. Beginning this year, the amount will go to the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates. Read the full story.

From the Badger Herald: The Associated Students of Madison’s Student Council voted to endorse Chancellor Biddy Martin’s Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, which will raise student tuition and provide additional aid and services. Read the full story.

From the Badger Herald: The Wisconsin Alumni Association announced its endorsement of the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates Tuesday, adding one last vote of support before the finalized proposal goes before the Associated Students of Madison tonight.

“We think it’s a very smart plan, an important investment in undergraduate education,” WAA President and CEO Paula Bonner said. “We just wanted to make sure, as an organization, the students and the regents knew the association supported it.” Read the full story.

From the Badger Herald: With the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates proposal scheduled to be sent to University of Wisconsin System officials Thursday, Chancellor Biddy Martin sent an e-mail to students last week updating them on the direction the initiative is taking.

The e-mail outlined several updates to the proposal, which was originally announced March 24. The updates concern common questions asked by students and details on the parts of the proposal that have been deemed especially important or were added after its initial unveiling. Read the full story.

From Wisconsin Radio Networks: A legislative leader is backing a controversial tuition surcharge for UW-Madison students.

State Senate President Fred Risser says the University is hurting and needs the money. The Madison Democrat says Chancellor Biddy Martin’s plan to impose higher tuition costs on families making more than $80,000 a year seems to make sense. He says taxes are often based on the ability to pay, so a similar system may work for higher education. Listen to the story.