Monday, January 5, 2015

An Admission About Our University System

By Jeff Simpson - Cross posted at Purple Wisconsin.

 As anyone with even a passing interest in The Wisconson Badgers football program knows, Coach Gary Anderson resigned this week for  a chance to live a life of obscurity, coaching at Oregon State.  
This move appears to be a step down,which leaves much speculation as to why he would do that.  One of the main possibilities that people have been bandying about, is that Coach Anderson was frustrated that Wisconsin's Academic Standards are too high.  
BadgerBlitz.com @McNamaraRivals: I can confirm that Mohamed Barry and #Wisconsin have parted ways. Academic standards at Wisconsin were an issue.
Let's get real, that was so 2010.  Wisconsin's current Governor and gerrymandered State Legislature have had the University of WIsconsin System on their radar to attack since they have been in power.   There is no other reason that they would appoint Rep. Steve Nass to be chair of the Assembly's Colleges and University committee.   
Scott Walker and the Republicans in charge, did not just stop there, they also made sure to cheapen the reputation of the University of Wisconsin system and diminisht he accomplishment of the college degree.   They implemented a "flexible option" degree.   
Madison – Governor Scott Walker released the following statement today after the University of Wisconsin (UW) System announced that UW-Milwaukee and UW Colleges received approval to begin providing Flexible Option degrees:
Our budget included $2 million to fund start-up costs for this first-in-the-nation approach, and I’m pleased to see this come to fruition because we’re making it easier for people to pursue higher education. This is great news for students and workers, and I thank UW System faculty and staff and the UW System Board of Regents for their hard work on this bold and innovative improvement.
YES!  You too can get your college degree and even skip the actual college part of it!   As Yakov Smirnoff might say --- "What a State!"
But Wait, there's more!   As if attacking the University System from the outside was not enough, they decided to plant a proverbial virus on the inside.   They created a new position for the University System called Vice President of Political Cronyism and, despite the fact that the interview committee begged not to hire him, hired Scott Walker's good friend Jim Villa.
The University of WIsconsin is still, for the time being, a World Class Institution but our politicians are working on that.  
While I too want to know Coach Anderson's thinking in leaving Wisconsin after two years, lets get real about our Academic Standards.   If you are one, who thinks we absolutely should not lower ourselves to help certain people get into our Universities, you have had your chance to speak up three times now.   
That ship has sailed and it does not appear to be coming back.

 

4 comments:

  1. According to a JS article from 2013 more than 900 Wisconsinites showed an interest in UW's flexible degree initiative. But if Gov Walker suggested or implemented it, it must be bad, your WDS showing Jeff.

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    1. 5 million people in WI - 900 or so show an interest in getting a college degree without taking classes so we are going to cheapen the whole of theUW system to make it happen? 150,000 people showed up to protest and all he did there was let us know he has a louisville slugger'

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  2. Dear Jeff,

    You've had several weeks since you asserted that the Gary Andersen fiasco was due to none other than that Simon Bar-Sinister, Scott Walker.

    BUT COULDN'T YOU HAVE AT LEAST FIGURED OUT HOW TO SPELL ANDERSEN'S NAME IN THE INTERVENING TIME?

    You are such a dope.

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    1. I never said the Andersen fiasco was Scott Walker's fault. I said because of Scott Walker and the repubs the UW system doesnt have the luster it once had.

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