WHEREAS, There are 13 two-year college campuses in the University of Wisconsin System known as UW Colleges; and

WHEREAS, Legislation has been proposed to merge each of the UW College campuses with the nearest four-year UW campus, and

WHEREAS, UW College campuses are vital educational and cultural resources for area residents that offer freshman/sophomore-level university instruction with transfer curriculum for the baccalaureate degree, professional studies, and a general education associate degree, and

WHEREAS, Most of the more than 12,000 students enrolled in the UW Colleges live in or near the community where a UW College campus is located and commute to the campus, making higher education more available and more affordable to all Wisconsin citizens, and

WHEREAS, a number of distinguished members of the Wisconsin Legislature have attended UW Colleges, and

WHEREAS, UW Colleges are located in the following member cities of the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities: Baraboo, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Marinette, Marshfield, Menasha, Sheboygan, Waukesha, Wausau and West Bend, and while UW-Rock County is not located in an Alliance city, it serves students from Beloit, and

WHEREAS, there have been no studies to determine whether a merger of any of the UW Colleges would save any money without diminishing the higher educational opportunities available to Wisconsin citizens,

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Wisconsin Alliance of Cities opposes the merger of the UW Colleges with four-year UW campuses in the absence of studies weighing any potential savings against any reduction in the availability and affordability of a higher education to Wisconsin citizens, and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be forwarded to Gov. Jim Doyle, chairs of the higher education committees in the Assembly and Senate and UW Colleges.

adopted this 11th day of March
Waukesha, Wisconsin

(signed)