UW-Madison in an Economic Recession and a Changing World

One of the keys to tapping opportunity lies with “energizing young people and young faculty,” computer sciences professor Paul Barford said.

“We have an unbelievable capacity to mobilize the young minds here,” Barford added.

How?

Susan Millar, a senior scientist in the School of Education, urged providing students an opportunity to learn leadership skills through an interdisciplinary effort to promote conservation and sustainability.

In addition to developing leadership skills, she said, their efforts to market conservation could result in campuswide energy savings.

Sheryl Taylor, a sophomore, also urged the campus to take steps to conserve and reduce its solid waste stream and raise parking prices to encourage the use of mass transit and eliminate the need for the campus to build more costly parking garages.

The forums kicked off Monday against a grim backdrop of projected state budget deficits, turmoil on Wall Street and an uncertain economic future.

The bottom line? “We’re going to face cuts,” Chancellor Martin told an audience of more than 100 people at Union South.

Still, Martin called for participants at the brainstorming session to identify opportunities for higher education in this recessionary economy and to think creatively about UW-Madison’s future.

“We will have to find ways to cut back, but only by figuring out how we can move forward,” she said. “This is going to be a team effort and a community effort.”

The chancellor acknowledged the finals-week timing of the sessions is not ideal, but pledged to have another, student-focused forum after classes resume after the holiday break.

Throughout the week of Dec. 15, University Communications will post summaries of some of the ideas that come out of the forums. Whether or not you’re able to attend any of the three forums in person, we invite you to continue the discussion online.

Read what others are thinking and add a comment of your own.

We ask only that you identify yourself in the post, refrain from personal attacks and, most importantly, stay on topic.

Thanks in advance for participating!