UW-Madison employs the second-largest number of H-1B visa holders in the state. Last week, President Trump increased the annual fee paid by employers of visa-holders from $215 to $100,000. A UW-Madison spokesperson said it's unclear if the fee will apply to the university.

A coalition of University of California employee groups and labor unions has sued the Trump administration over the federal government’s efforts to "exert ideological control" of the UC System campuses through cuts in research funding. The lawsuit called the cuts unconstitutional and arbitrary.

UW-Madison grad student's NIH grant was terminated without warning, less than four months into the project. Supervising professor Lingjung Li: "We believe that different, diverse backgrounds can actually bring unique and different perspectives to make our research enterprise better and stronger."

Nebraska's flagship is considering cutting 6 academic programs (bachelor's & graduate) and consolidating 4 others in an effort to cut more than $27 million. The targeted programs include community & regional planning, earth & atmospheric sciences, statistics, and educational administration.

Gallup finds that the perceived importance of college in the US has dramatically fallen over the past 15 years. Thirty-five percent say college is very important, compared to 75% in 2010. Confidence in higher ed has fallen more steeply among Republicans, with 40% saying college is not too important.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he wants the federal government to receive half the funds generated from university patents that were the result of federally-funded research: "I think if we fund it and they invent a patent, the...taxpayer should get half the benefit."

Facing a $25-30 million deficit, the University of Oregon has laid off almost 120 employees over the past few months. 59 vacant positions were also eliminated, including 14 tenure-track faculty positions.

More than half of UW System's 13 universities have increased their enrollment over last year's figures. UW-Madison's enrollment is essentially flat––about 250 fewer students out of nearly 52,000 last year. Campuses in Whitewater, Green Bay and Parkside showed notable growth over last year.

At a speech at Hillsdale College, Education Secretary Linda McMahon says higher education broken and that "(d)ecline is a choice, and too many college leaders today have made that choice and failed to own up to it." McMahon is on a national tour touting her Returning Education to the States plan.

The Department of Education is shifting career and technical education programs to the Dept. of Labor, a move that some see as another step in dismantling the department. Senators Tammy Baldwin, Patty Murray and Congresswoman Rosa DaLauro call the move an illegal attempt to dismantle the department.

ICYMI: PROFS is working with State Sen. Kelda Roys and others to advance legislation that would ban firearms on Wisconsin's public college and university campuses. www.dailycardinal.com/article/2025...

ICYMI: The Big Ten Academic Alliance launched a new television ad aimed at countering attacks on higher education by the Trump administration. The ad focuses on the impact of research and will air during Big Ten sporting events this fall.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Kelly Meyerhofer looks how federal orders have impacted graduate students in science. UW-Madison biochemistry student David Rivera-Kohr: "The anti-science and anti-education attitude of the Trump administration are going to be very damaging to innovative advances."

You may have seen a new tv spot from the B1G last week. The Academic Alliance's 30-second ad was largely a defense of public higher education and focused on the contributions of each institution in science, health care, and their local communities. Response from campus leaders was mostly favorable.

The University of California has launched the Speak Up for Science campaign to counteract federal threats to cut research funding in the upcoming budget.

Swarthmore's Daniel Laurison on higher ed's fight for democracy: We need to protect students, faculty and our communities from government reprisals, and to fight attacks on our institutions and democracy in the public sphere, in the legal arena and through nonviolent civil disobedience and protest.

GOP-led legislatures are taking aim at faculty senates, and in many cases rendering them advisory only. In the case of Texas, faculty senates will effectively be eliminated on September 1. The Chronicle cites the removal of faculty governance from state statutes in 2015 as basis for today's trend.

Sen. Kelda Roys and Rep. Renuka Mayadev are among four Democrats who announced legislation that would effectively create a gun-free zone on college and university campuses. Roys and Mayadev represent UW-Madison in the Legislature and PROFS worked with the bills' authors in crafting the legislation.

Good news: bipartisan legislation to reauthorize Sea Grant programs around the country (including the Great Lake states), due to the high value generated compared to the cost ecomagazine.com/news/policy/...

New: The Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to continue terminating NIH grants relating to DEI, gender identity, and COVID. It's a 5–4 decision, with Roberts joining the liberals in dissent. From Justice Jackson's dissent👇 www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

The Cap Times looks at challenges facing UW-Madison. Federal cuts to research funding tops the list, with enrollment concerns, changes to federal financial aid, campus budget cuts, faculty workload requirements related to pay raises, student athlete pay and the provost search rounding out the list.

A Maryland federal judge ruled against the Trump Administration's order to end K-12 and collegiate DEI initiatives, saying the government overstepped: "By leapfrogging important procedural requirements, the government has unwittingly run headfirst into serious constitutional problems."

UW System President Jay Rothman discusses funding, enrollment and workforce needs on In Focus Wisconsin. Rothman also addressed the politicalization of higher education in the state and what the future holds for UW System. He stressed the importance of university's research to the state and US.

State employees, including UW-Madison faculty & staff, will receive the pay raises included in the 2025-27 state budget. Evers, citing a State Supreme Court ruling, bypassed JCOER approval when announcing the raises. Workers will receive a 3% raise retroactive to June 29 and a 2% raise in July 2026.

The University of Nebraska System announced a faculty buyout plan targeting faculty members eligible for retirement with more than 10 years of service. Faculty receiving the buyout will separate from the university next summer and receive a lump sum payment equal to 70% of their salary.

Last week, UCLA became the first public university to be targeted by the Trump administration when $584 million in federal funding was frozen. The Trump administration is now accusing the university of antisemitism and other civil rights violations and says they are willing to settle for $1 billion.

The Trump Administration will require colleges and universities to submit data on the race and sex of applicants, admitted students and enrollees. In a second directive, all federal grants must be approved by political appointees to ensure "consistency with agency priorities."

UW-Madison has spent more on federal lobbying this year than in all of 2024, largely due to directives that have targeted research funding and DEI initiatives. The current lobbyists' contracts expire in December and UW-Madison is in the midst of hiring a firm or firms for a maximum of five years.

More good news: "Senators from both parties endorsed a $400 million *increase* to the budget of the NIH on Thursday, in an Appropriations Committee vote that represents a clear rebuke of President Trump’s plan to dramatically reduce the agency’s spending." www.statnews.com/2025/07/31/n...

Wisconsin GOP Congressman Tom Tiffany introduced a bill that would eliminate the exception that allows colleges and universities to hire an unlimited number of specialized international workers as part of the H-1B visa program. Tiffany said the practice "hands good-paying jobs to foreign workers..."

NEW The White House is blocking the NIH from awarding new research grants for the rest of the fiscal year Chokes off billions in research funding Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol... with @nidhisubs.bsky.social

GOP legislators plan to reintroduce legislation that would tie UW tuition increases to the rate of inflation, capping increases to the rate of inflation. The authors say their proposal would make any increase predictable while a UW System spokesperson says UW needs flexibility when setting tuition.

The Board of Regents approved a 4% undergraduate tuition increase at the 4-year campuses for '25-26. All schools except for UW-Green Bay chose to include an additional 1% increase. UW-Madison will also raise out-of-state undergrad tuition by 5%, but will not raise graduate and professional tuition.

PROFS lobbied against the minimum mandatory teaching load policy now in state statutes. UW-Madison professor Christa Olson says the "one-size-fits-all" policy does not account for differences among colleges and departments: "That’s just not a realistic depiction of how universities work."

Will Gov. Tony Evers run for a third term? That's a question from those on both sides of the aisle. Evers previously said he would announce a decision following passage of the 2025-27 state budget, which he signed very early Thursday morning, July 3. NBC News shares opinions from several insiders.

The state budget process concluded with Gov. Evers signing the bipartisan bill at 1 am this morning. While the bill provides the largest state funding increase ifor UW System in 20 years, PROFS is deeply concerned about a provision that mandates minimum workloads for faculty and instructional staff.

PROFS is urging legislators to remove language relating to faculty workload requirements from the state budget bill, saying the language interferes with the role of institutions and their faculty who, by law, are responsible for the educational mission of the universities. Our statement ⬇️

A deep look at the UW System section of the state budget which is up for vote in the Legislature today. PROFS is greatly concerned about language that would require a minimum faculty teaching load of 12 credits per year. A one-size-all approach doesn't account for the differences among campuses.

The Joint Finance Committee approved the state budget by a 13-3 vote yesterday. The Senate and Assembly are expected vote on the bill today. While the bill provides more than $250 million in increased funding for UW System, PROFS has deep concerns about faculty workload requirements in the bill.

The GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee is expected to vote on a compromise on Gov. Evers' biennial budget this afternoon. While we are pleased with an increase in UW funding, we are deeply concerned about still unseen language relating to faculty workload requirements. profs.wisc.edu?p=10045

PROFS President Michael Bernard-Donals discusses the the 5% budget cut UW-Madison leaders have asked schools and colleges to make in FY26. Bernard-Donals said the cut is in a series of cuts that have been made by the Republican Legislature and, more recently, the Trump Administration.

Gov. Evers and GOP leaders reach a compromise on the state budget. The proposal, which must be approved by the Legislature before going to Gov. Evers, includes $256 million for UW System. Also included are minimum requirements for faculty teaching loads, but PROFS has not seen the final language.

The Joint Finance Committee will meet tomorrow to tackle more than 50 topics, including UW System. Liam Beran (@isthmusmadison.bsky.social) provides a detailed look at the Regent budget request, opaque funding formulas between campuses and Republican opposition to increasing the university's budget.

The latest Marquette University poll shows 55% of Wisconsin voters think Gov. Tony Evers should not run for a third term. The poll illustrates the strong partisanship in the state: 83% of Democrats support a third term for Evers, while only 7% of Republicans would like to see Evers run again.

UW-Madison announced 5% cuts to school/college FY26 budgets. Administrative and other units must face 7% cuts. Chancellor Mnookin and other leaders said implementing the cuts ahead of the state budget and resolution of federal lawsuits would leave the university in a better position going forward.

US District Judge Indira Talwani ruled in a summary judgement that NSF's 15% cap on indirect costs on research grants was "invalid, arbitrary and capricious, and contrary to law." AAU, ACE, APLU, and thirteen universities--including Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota--filed suit last month.

Citing "immense financial uncertainty and risks," UW-Madison directs Schools and Colleges to cut FY26 budgets by 5% while administrative and other units must cut 7%. UW-Madison has already faced stop work orders and cuts in federal research funding and state GOP leaders favor cutting the UW budget.

UW System President Jay Rothman and state business leaders are making the case to increase UW funding in the 2025-27 biennial budget, but differences between Republican leaders in the Assembly and Senate have stalled the state budget process.

ICYMI: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says his caucus supports an $87 million cut to the UW System budget. Vos, citing "politcal correctness" on UW campuses, said that "it’s not about cutting money. What it is about is getting some kind of reforms to the broken process that we currently have."