A top member of the University of Wisconsin’s Board of Regents is raising concern about the large number of employees who work in the Universities of Wisconsin System headquarters.
“Why does the University of Wisconsin system bureaucracy have 579 employees for a 13-school system when the technical college (system) has 50, for a 16-school system,” said Regent Timothy Nixon. “That’s a great question.”
“They are better off reassigned, where the resources are used at campuses where we actually educate people,” Nixon insisted.
According to his bio, Nixon “is a commercial lawyer representing clients in state and federal courts. He is of Counsel at the Green Bay Office of Godfrey and Kahn, S.C.” Nixon was appointed to the board by Democrat Gov. Tony Evers.
According to Nixon, he believes the 50 number is “really lean for them,” referring to the tech schools board. “I’m on both boards.”
He brought up the numbers during a public hearing in the state Senate about the termination of System President Jay Rothman, who has said in news interviews that he was let go without being given a reason. Nixon and Regent President Amy Bogost disagreed.
That’s the context in which Nixon made his remarks.
“Since last November, this has been the horse I’ve been riding; I have asked for justification,” Nixon said.
“I just don’t see the difference. When you look at other systems, they don’t have this many people.”
He stressed, “I don’t want to insinuate that they’re lazy or that they don’t do good work.”
Claimed Nixon: “President Rothman has not provided an answer to me since November.”
“Why 579?” Nixon said. “Can’t we cut that? Maybe that’s the right number, but I think we ought to take some of those people and move them on campuses where we actually educate people, and he has not been on board with moving that along.”
Republican state Sen. Rob Hutton said that he was surprised, but happy, to hear a Regent express a desire for such reform.
Hutton said the Regents have typically been considered “gatekeepers of the status quo.”
“President Rothman moves methodically. He moves deliberately. And part of that is, he’s a corporate lawyer,” said Nixon.
Nixon said he likes Rothman but sensed a “lack of urgency” on some of these issues. Rothman doesn’t want to upset either the legislature or the governor or the faculty or anyone else, he claimed.
