In what was termed a celebration of public higher education, the UW System held an event Wednesday in Madison touting its benefits to students, the public and the economy of Wisconsin.
All 15 institutions of the UW System planned on attending the event, which invited more than 1,500 guests. UW-Eau Claire had a small group depart early Wednesday morning for UW Day, which was scheduled to run from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.
“It’s basically showing off the university,” Student Senate Vice President Erin Brandt said. “It will show legislators what the UW System is doing.”
Brandt said late Tuesday she and sophomore Juan Wilson were going to be the two UW System ambassadors for Eau Claire. Intergovernmental Affairs Director Sarah Schuh also made the trip.
Brandt said after driving to Madison, everyone will have lunch and make lobby visits. The festival-like event, titled “UW Day: Building Wisconsin’s Future,” takes place in the evening. Several legislators planned on attending, Brandt said.
Eau Claire’s Singing Statesmen planned on performing at the event, which also housed entertainment. According to a press release, UW Day was funded by private contributions.
Gov. Scott McCallum, UW Systems President Katharine Lyall and Board of Regents President Jay Smith all were scheduled to speak at the event.
Brandt said it’s important to remind everyone that the UW System is beneficial to more than just its students.
“We knew the budget wasn’t going to be great this year,” said Brandt, referring to the increase in funding to the UW System the governor proposed.
During McCallum’s 2001-2003 budget address February, he introduced a 1.6 percent increase for funding to the UW System, falling well short of the 3.7 percent increase requested by the Board of Regents. A UW System official said the small increase could result in increased tuition costs for students.
And that’s why Wednesday’s event was important, Brandt said.
Each school is given the chance to have a theme. Eau Claire’s exhibit was titled “A Partner in Our Region” and dealt with the ways Eau Claire works with other organizations in the region, such as the Chippewa Valley Initiative.