Gov. Tony Evers Thursday delivered his weekly radio address highlighting a plan to propose the largest biennial increase in state funding for the University of Wisconsin (UW) System in his 2025-27 budget, according to information released by his office.

The governor visited UW-Whitewater Wednesday as part of a statewide back-to-school tour, which additionally included visits to several other campuses across the state. 

According to the release, Evers, earlier this year, delivered remarks to the UW System Board of Regents to announce his 2025-27 executive budget, which will propose an increase of more than $800 million for the UW System — the largest biennial increase in state funding for the UW System in state history — aimed at preventing further staff and faculty layoffs, campus closures, and program cuts and consolidations.

Evers, a former regent, the release noted, urged the board to join him in supporting significant increases for the UW System by approving an agency budget request consistent with the governor’s proposed investment.

Last month, the release continued, the Board of Regents answered the governor’s call, approving an agency budget request that met the governor’s request to make robust, ongoing state investments in the UW System. The governor has committed to meeting or exceeding the budget request approved by the Board of Regents.

As stated in the release, the governor’s call for substantial state investments in the UW System comes as five UW branch campuses announced closures and several UW campuses have been forced to furlough and lay off employees, shift funding or make cuts, and restructure portions of campus operations, which the governor argued in his remarks is largely due to Republican lawmakers’ actions and inaction over the last decade, as highlighted in reporting by PolitiFact Wisconsin. According to the State Higher Education Finance Report, which is released by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, Wisconsin ranked 42nd for public funding for four-year colleges based on 2022 data. A report released in April 2023 by the Wisconsin Policy Forum found that the UW System ranked 43rd nationally for per-student funding in 2021.