LETTER: UWM engineering program is being shackled by Legislature

To Ozaukee Press:

As a former member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents and CEO of a local farm equipment manufacturer, I couldn’t agree more with the importance of continuing to fund the materials science department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

     It is a vital part of the engineering program that offers vast economic benefits to Wisconsin’s employers.

     Business leaders are dead wrong to place any blame on UWM’s leadership or the UW System.

     Lack of adequate support from the state and 10 years of declining tuition revenue mandated by Republican politicians is the direct cause of UWM’s budget constraints.

     The facts are clear: When faced with a $4 billion surplus, the leadership in the Wisconsin Legislature, led by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, refuse to spend any additional funds on educating our future workforce.

     If business leaders want educational opportunities like the materials science program to continue, they should make their case to Vos and LeMahieu, they hold the checkbook, not university leaders.

 John Miller

Fox Point