Wednesday, July 16, 2025
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Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Milwaukee Press Club 'Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism' 2020 & 2021 Award Winners

UW-Madison Race-based Hiring Program Likely Unconstitutional, Report Says

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Race-based admissions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison may not be the only thing that could be changing.

A new report from Center for Investigative Oversight at the Institute for Reforming Government takes a look at the university’s Target of Opportunity Program.

“In practice, the TOP program creates a two-track system by which departments can hire ‘diverse’ candidates outside of the normal hiring process, giving the candidates a leg up over non-diverse candidates,” the report states.

Anthony LoCoco, who is IRG’s head of the Center for Investigative Oversight, wrote in an op-ed at the Wall Street Journal that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that using race to determine who gets into college is largely unconstitutional. He said the same theory applies to race-based hiring.

“Similar to Harvard’s and UNC’s admissions policies, for example, the actions of several UW departments approximated racial balancing, something the Supreme Court reminded is ‘patently unconstitutional’,” LoCoco wrote. “UW’s School of Business supported its TOP proposal with a helpful chart showing faculty race by percentage with imprecise categories like ‘Asian,’ ‘White,’ and ‘African American’ and expressed a desire that faculty and student racial diversification proceed ‘at the same rate.’ The School of Medicine and Public Health argued a targeted hire was necessary in part because ‘[n]ationwide, there are only 4.2% of dermatologists of Hispanic origin compared with 16.3% in the general American population’.”

LoCoco and his Center for Investigative Oversight compiled the report based on UW-Madison’s TOP applications and reports.

The university has not said what may become of the TOP program after the Supreme Court’s ruling. Instead UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a statement that the school is reviewing the ruling.

“The full implications of today’s ruling — both nationally and on our campus — will not be known for some time. UW–Madison and UW System attorneys are now carefully reviewing the Court’s opinions and monitoring the potential release of additional guidance from relevant federal agencies,” Mnookin said in a statement to students, faculty members, and university workers.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has suggested ending the UW’s race-based scholarship program because of its reliance on race. LoCoco suggested that lawmakers do the same with the TOP program.

“In Wisconsin, as nationwide, if TOP programs and their ilk are not ultimately corrected legislatively, expect more litigation. The Supreme Court has made clear that it takes seriously the Equal Protection Clause’s ‘core purpose’ of abolishing ‘all governmentally imposed discrimination based on race.’ Faculty diversity programs thus present those seeking to fully vindicate the ‘colorblind Constitution,’ in Justice Thomas’ words, with a major target of opportunity,” LoCoco added.

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(The Center Square) – Josh Schoemann, the only Republican currently in the race for governor next year, is criticizing Gov. Tony Evers’ approach to the next state budget by comparing it to his plans in Washington County.

“In Washington County our budget cycle starts right now, and it’s not due until November. We will propose our budget goals to the County Board in the next couple of months. We will share ‘This is what we’re thinking.’ It gives them months of time to think those through, give us feedback, and [have] that kind of dialogue,” Schoemann explained in an interview on News Talk 1130 WISN.

Schoemann said that is far better than the approach Evers is taking again this year.

“That’s not how government is supposed to work,” Schoemann said. “It’s not the vision of the governor. It’s not the vision of any one person.”

Evers and the Republican legislative leaders who will write the budget have been involved in on-again, off-again budget talks this month. On Thursday, the governor’s office said those talks were off once again because of gridlock in the Senate.

“Ultimately, the Senate needs to decide whether they were elected to govern and get things done or not,” Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback said in a post on X.

Schoemann’s criticism of Evers is nothing new. He has long been a critic of the governor and has turned that criticism up since launching his campaign for governor.

But the recent criticism was also aimed at other Republicans who may jump into the 20206 governor’s race later this year.

“Nobody else in this race on the Republican side, being rumored to this point, has the executive leadership of skills and history to be able to show ‘This is how I’ve done it before, and here’s how we’ll do it Madison,’” Schoemann said. “The results in Washington County speak for themselves.”

Northwoods Congressman Tom Tiffany is also rumored to be looking to get into the Republican race. Before he went to Congress, Tiffany was a Republican lawmaker in Madison.

Businessman and veteran Bill Berrien is also on the short list of likely GOP candidates for 2026.

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