Financial data
Financial data is broken down into three areas: 1997-98 revenue and allocations (overall budget); 1997-98 federal grants; and 1998-99 revenue and allocations. The expenditures table highlights the university's revenue sources and how the revenue was distributed throughout campus. Two aspects are worth noting:
- The total budgetary amount does not include the UW Hospital and Clinics,
which have been managed by a public authority since 1996.
- For the second straight year, allocations for student services include gifts made to the university to help pay for the Kohl Center, the $76 million multipurpose sports facility that opened in January.
Community data
These tables review student enrollment, the number and type of degrees awarded,
and the number of faculty and staff employed by the university during the past year.
Historical trends
Serving as significant benchmarks for the university, historical trends provide important year-to-year information that assists UW-Madison in making decisions about its future.
Of the four historical trends noted in this section, the most important is state support, traditionally one of the main revenue sources for public universities, along with tuition. Yet that tradition is slipping. As a percentage of the university's budget, state support was 26.9 percent in 1997-98, down from 27.3 percent last year. Just 10 years ago, the figure was 36.3 percent, and 25 years ago state support comprised 44 percent of the university's budget.
To make up for the lost revenue, the university has had to rely more and more on private donations and federal grants, two funding sources that in the past have been devoted to maintaining the university's status as one of the world's leading research universities. These funding sources are referred to as the university's "margin of excellence."
The university will not be able to maintain its level of excellence should support from state tax dollars continue to decline. It will force the university to substitute revenue from private gifts and federal sources for state funding in its base level of support.
Copyright © 1998 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System