Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address Highlighting Back-to-School Tour of UW Campuses Across the State 

Audio File of Radio Address.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers this week visited University of Wisconsin (UW) System campuses statewide to welcome educators, students, and staff back to campus for the 2025-26 school year. During the visits, the governor highlighted his work to secure over $250 million for the UW System over the next two years, the largest increase for the UW System in nearly 20 years. Gov. Evers also fought to secure over $1.2 billion in the 2025-27 Capital Budget for critical infrastructure projects on UW campuses statewide, including projects at UW-Madison, La Crosse, Oshkosh, Stout, Milwaukee, Platteville, and Stevens Point.

Gov. Evers has spent the last several years advocating for increased investments in the UW System to help prevent further campus closures, staff and faculty layoffs, and program cuts and consolidations. When Republican lawmakers indicated they planned to cut the UW System by tens of millions of dollars—nearly $90 million—in this state budget, Gov. Evers threatened to veto the budget in its entirety.

Instead, Gov. Evers negotiated a historic bipartisan agreement to secure the largest increase for the UW System in nearly 20 years, including:

• An increase of over $250 million for the UW System over the next two years, including:
  • Over $100 million to support UW System campuses statewide to help stabilize the system after recent campus closures, layoffs, and program cuts and consolidations and ensure UW institutions remain economic and workforce hubs in communities across our state;
  • $7 million to provide 24/7 virtual telehealth mental health services to nearly all students across UW System campuses;
  • $54 million to help retain and recruit faculty and staff in high-demand fields of study to ensure UW System institutions remain competitive, world-class institutions;
  • Nearly $90 million to increase wages for UW System workers, including faculty and staff;
  • $1 million for UW-Green Bay’s Rising Phoenix Early College High School Program that enables high school students to earn college credits; and
  • Over $1.2 billion to support capital building projects on UW campuses across the state.

Additional information on Gov. Evers’ investments in the UW, including projects enumerated at campuses statewide, can be found in the governor’s veto message available here.

Hey there, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.

Folks, our ability to compete and be successful—to have a strong economy and workforce, to retain our homegrown talent, and to make life better for everyone who calls our state home—depends on our UW System.

I’ve spent the last six years advocating for increased investments in the UW System to prevent further campus closures, staff and faculty layoffs, and program cuts and consolidations.

And with ongoing efforts from the Trump Administration to cut higher education funding and dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, things for our UWs could get a whole lot worse.

What’s at stake in our most recent budget was no secret—Republican lawmakers had planned to cut the University of Wisconsin System by tens of millions of dollars.

But, through our bipartisan budget negotiations, I secured over $250 million for the UW System statewide, including the largest increase for the UW System in nearly two decades.

This includes over $100 million to support UW System campuses statewide, $144 million to help retain and recruit faculty and staff, and $7 million to support mental health services for students.

Our budget also makes a nearly $1.2 billion investment in our campuses and building infrastructure statewide.

That includes critical building projects at UW-Madison, La Crosse, Oshkosh, Stout, Milwaukee, Platteville, and Stevens Point.

I’m incredibly proud of our work over the years to ensure these institutions can continue to offer the world-class education, research, and services they’re known for.

But folks, there’s still much more work ahead when it comes to building the future we want for our UW System, our kids, and our state.

So, we’re gonna keep working to invest in public education at every level, from child care and early learning to our K-12 classrooms to our world-class higher education system.

Thank you.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.