David Michael Miller
During his short-lived presidential bid, Scott Walker told audiences he wasn’t afraid to “go big and go bold” as governor. So now that he’s committed to serving out his second term, what big and bold initiatives are on his agenda?
The Legislature’s political issues du jour don’t really fit the bill. While there’s certainly merit in reforming the Government Accountability Board and John Doe process, this is “inside baseball” stuff that appeals more to political junkies than ordinary citizens. If the governor wants to act really big and bold, he should address an issue almost no political figure in the state is brave enough even to acknowledge: the decades-long, systematic underperformance of the Wisconsin economy.
This problem is actually well known among business and civic leaders. It was documented in the insightfully titled report Be Bold Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Competitiveness Survey, released in 2010, the year Scott Walker was first elected governor. Among other things, this study revealed that Wisconsin ranked 42nd in growth in per capita income over the preceding 30 years. This means Wisconsin’s income and economic growth have consistently been more sluggish than 41 other states since (at least) the early 1980s. There are some indications this troubling trend has reversed under Gov. Walker, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.
The same report, commissioned by the nonprofit Wisconsin Economic Development Association and other groups, identified work force skills and the education system as the two biggest obstacles to advancing economic development in the state. Developing the workforce and transforming education are also listed as two of the governor’s top three Wisconsin priorities, and both clearly feed into the other main objective of “Developing Our Economy.”
Over the last four years, several new policies and programs have been implemented in Wisconsin that are designed to enhance workforce skills and educational outcomes at all levels. One common theme among these initiatives is the importance of enhancing flexibility in job training and educational approaches. The “UW Flex Option” is in fact specifically cited as an innovative, first-of-its-kind approach for allowing adult students to earn college credit more efficiently.
These efforts are a good start, but, other than the importance of greater flexibility, they’re not united by any clear, cohesive vision. A more coordinated and carefully defined statewide approach to educational policy could greatly improve Wisconsin’s vocational and higher education systems and the contribution each makes to economic and social progress. This is particularly true now, because post-secondary education itself is in a state of flux due to the disruptive impact of information technology in learning. Wisconsin’s colleges, universities and vocational schools will be much better positioned to benefit from these technological trends, rather than being blindsided by them, if state policies anticipate and plan for the future.
Education reform is also complicated by the sprawling nature of Wisconsin’s higher education establishment. The current system includes two major research universities (UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee); 11 traditionally non-research campuses, whose missions are now quite similar to the research institutions; 13 two-year UW campuses; UW-Extension; and 48 two-year technical colleges within 16 technical college districts. With 33 senators and 74 higher education campuses, one prominent commentator has noted that Wisconsin has an average of more than two campuses per Senate district, which “helps explain the political difficulty of reforming higher education.”
Reforming education, enhancing workforce skills and enabling each to improve the state’s subpar economic growth therefore involves a host of nettlesome, complex and interrelated issues. Working through these issues and developing a clear strategy for Wisconsin’s long-run educational policy would be challenging under the best circumstances. These circumstances don’t exist at the Capitol, where parochial politics and rank partisanship make it impossible to achieve consensus on a long-term vision and action plan for reform.
Gov. Walker should therefore cut through this institutional red tape and convene a blue ribbon panel to address these issues. The panel would be composed of recognized educational, vocational and business leaders in the state. Its mission would be to report back in no more than two years with a comprehensive vision, framework and action plan for reforming the state’s higher education system and maximizing its contribution to long-term economic growth.
When organized and directed appropriately, blue ribbon panels can provide a clear, practical path forward. Membership on the panel should be drawn from across the political and ideological spectrum, both to enhance the credibility of its recommendations and ensure it draws on the widest possible base of knowledge. The panel should also be chaired by someone with a proven track record of effective management and an ability to achieve results, in either the private or public sector (ideally, both).
While Wisconsinites are justly proud of their universities, times are changing rapidly, and the evidence suggests campuses can do more to foster economic development. Few initiatives from the governor would be bigger, bolder and perhaps more unexpected than putting a process in place that will transform and modernize the state’s higher education system and maximize its contribution to economic development.
Larry Kaufmann is an economic consultant based in Madison.
