UW president Rothman talks affirmative action and budget at Regents meeting in La Crosse

The University of Wisconsin will not challenge a Supreme Court ruling knocking down affirmative action policies for college admissions.

“I hope it goes without saying that we will comply with the law,” UW System president Jay Rothman declared in La Crosse on Thursday, during the opening day of a meeting by the university Board of Regents.

Rothman said the university is committed to inclusion and diversity measures.

In his remarks during the two-day regents session, Rothman spoke out against proposed budget cuts for the UW, saying those reductions would be bad for a system that trains future workers for Wisconsin businesses.

“Continuing to shrink our budgets is going to have consequences for our university system, without question,” said Rothman. “More importantly, those consequences will jeopardize the long-term competitiveness of Wisconsin, and our economic vibrancy.”

Rothman called it “inconceivable” that lawmakers won’t spend any of the state’s $7 billion surplus on the UW System, but instead are planning budget cuts. Republican leaders in the legislature are threatening large cuts in the system budget, to force the UW to abandon diversity programs.