The following editorial was co-written by UW System Board of Regents President Drew Petersen and UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank.
As the UW Board of Regents president and the chancellor of the state’s flagship university, we both share an important goal: ensuring access for our state’s students at UW-Madison.
In response to the story in Wednesday’s State Journal “Wisconsin students make up smallest share of UW-Madison freshman class in at least 25 years,” we want to challenge the focus of the article and reiterate that our commitment to Wisconsin students and families has never been stronger. Moreover, we believe the coverage should have reflected that this class is actually a winner for the university, the state and its economy.
Applications to UW-Madison from Wisconsin residents continue to grow. Of those who applied this year, 68 percent were admitted, an increase from last year. More new freshmen come from Wisconsin than a decade ago, even though the number of Wisconsin high school graduates has declined during that same period. In-state demographic trends matter and play a pivotal role in our admissions process.