Somers---In a carefully worded report, officials at UW-Parkside indicate that unless things change they will no longer be able to produce enough graduates to fill the needs of area employers.
The two-page summary with charts and graphs was prepared for a UW Board of Regents meeting. But last week’s discussion, which was to include representatives from the other UW campuses, was scrapped by system President Ray Cross and regent leaders.
The campus summaries were eventually released to media outlets.
The Parkside report says, quoting now, “Without sustainable and predictable investment, UW-Parkside cannot support the talent demands of a growing region.”
The summary says that in the last four years alone staffing has been cut by over 12% as state support has steadily slid.
The report also says that finances are too tight for the school to develop new programs, and that low staffing has a “negative” impact on students.
The report points out some positives: Both student retention and graduation rates are up.
The UW's funding was cut by $250 million in the 2015-2017 budget.
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