College of Letters & Science: Computer and Data Science. Computation and data science skills are critically important for large segments of the Wisconsin and national economies. The Computer Sciences program at UW-Madison sees a job placement rate of nearly 100% for its graduates. The program has been growing sharply and is now the largest major at UW-Madison. We anticipate similar robust enrollment in our new Data Science major. We support UW-Madison’s request for $2.5 million/year for additional faculty, staff, advisors, and support services would permit another 800 to 1000 students to major in Computer and Data Sciences in the 2019-21 biennial budget bill.
School of Business. Demand for the WSB Bachelor in Business Administration far outstrips capacity, with many high caliber students being turned away. Seven of the top ten “Hot Jobs” on the Department of Workforce Development website are in the field of business. BioForward supports UW-Madison’s request for $2 million/year for additional faculty, staff, and support services that would grow enrollment by 300 students and expand entrepreneurship courses in the 2019-21 biennial budget bill.
School of Nursing. There will be a projected need for an additional 27,700 nurses by 2040 in the state’s workforce. There are around 3,000 nurses graduated by Wisconsin’s colleges and universities, which cannot meet the demand. The School of Nursing receives 400-450 applicants for its traditional BSN program, but only has 160 seats available. BioForward supports UW-Madison’s request for $1.2 million annually to increase number of faculty and instructional staff, and essential technological replacements to allow the School of Nursing to admit more approx. 40 additional undergraduate students in the 2019-21 biennial budget bill.
College of Engineering. The number of undergraduates pursuing an engineering degree grew by about 1,000 students in 10 years. Demand continues to exist for the engineering programs at UW-Madison, as the college turns away many qualified students each year. BioForward supports UW-Madison’s request for $3 million/year to focus on workforce development, talent retention, and entrepreneurship and innovation. This would increase capacity at the college by 800 students. This request would be part of a $12 million plan to increase capacity and modernize facilities at the college in the 2019-21 biennial budget bill.
School of Veterinary Medicine. The School of Veterinary Medicine at UW-Madison is a valuable resource for animal health research, cutting-edge human health research and high quality veterinary medical care. BioForward supports UW-Madison’s 2019-21 biennial budget request for bonding authority to renovate the School of Veterinary Medicine’s.