One of the things I requested when I arrived in 2013 was a short and straightforward document that showed where our money comes from at UW-Madison and how we spend it. The result was the Budget in Brief, which we have now produced every year for four years. The latest Budget in Brief was just released.
This is an easily digestible document that provides information on state revenues, research funding, our auxiliary operations, student financial aid, and UW’s statewide economic impact and commitment to Wisconsin students.
After receiving cuts in five of the last six budget cycles, UW System received a slight increase in the 2017-19 budget bill. UW-Madison receives about 15 percent of its overall revenue from state tax dollars. The state portion of our funding is approved by the state legislature and signed into law by the governor.
Using easy-to-interpret graphics, charts and text, the Budget in Brief tells our budget story. For instance, did you know that our administrative support costs, which include general administrative services, legal and fiscal operations, purchasing, printing and IT, are only 3 percent of our total expenses? That is second lowest among Big Ten universities. And did you know that out of more than 8,000 Wisconsin residents who applied for admission in the fall of 2017, more than two out of three were admitted?
These are the kinds of facts you’ll find in the Budget in Brief, which is the product of a collaboration between the Office of University Relations, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, and the Office of Academic Planning and Institutional Research.
If you would like to receive a printed copy please email budget@uc.wisc.edu. You can find it online on the UW-Madison state budget webpage.