I try to be understanding. I really try. But Republicans continue to think of ways to demonstrate their utter lack of common sense. Again, there are legions of examples, but I will focus on the Wisconsin version of the gang that can’t shoot straight’s war on the State’s flagship University… Wisconsin Madison. Why attack a world class research university that contributes so much to the State’s economy defies logic. Then again, thinking straight has never been a Republican strength.

Let’s start with a few facts about UW-Madison, my professional home for several decades even though I spent a good deal of time in Washington D.C. and working with various state and local governments. In the recent ranking of U.S. universities, UW ranked 35 overall, and 12th among public institutions. That is up from the 49th spot just several years ago despite repeated attacks by the Republican leadership led by Robert Voss. In global rankings, UW has ranked among the top 50, earning its reputation as a ‘world class’ research university.

Some may say that Wisconsin, being a rather average state in terms of economic resources, cannot afford to support a top school. But that is not how this works. In fact, the state contributes only 15 percent of the total campus budget. That is, the state only kicks in about $537 million of the campuses $3.7 billion dollar budget. Another 21 percent ($749 million) comes from student tuition and fees while some 18 percent ($676 million) is generated by private donations.

Adding these budgetary components up only accounts for a little more than half of the total budget. While there are other sources of support, the most significant revenue source not mentioned so far is research grants. In a recent year, some $1.38 billion dollars in grants flowed into the Madison campus, placing it 8th among all universities. The state can enjoy a top university because a reputation for excellence in the past enables Madison to attract top talent and, therefore, large amounts of extracurricular support.

Here’s the thing. Most of us academics at a place like Wisconsin are mini entrepreneurs. We bring in far more in revenue than we take in salary. I certainly could have earned more outside a state university but felt a strong pull to contribute to the public good. This place, indeed any research university, would fall apart if a talented faculty were not so successful in competing for scarce research money. Surely, we would not be running a $33 million dollar surplus as is now the case. I know that I personally brought in millions either directly or indirectly, and I was nothing special. It is what you do at a place like Wisconsin or Michigan or any of the elite public research schools.

Of course, that does not even begin to account for the full economic contribution the university makes to the local economy. Epic systems started as a spin off of a university project several decades ago. When any doctor puts patient information into an automated system, it is likely an Epic product. The firm has grown from a handful of people into massive effort that will soon employ 18,000 mostly highly paid technical and professional workers. And this is just one such offshoot but surely one of the most successful ones.

You would think that Republicans would take pride in such an economic engine. They traditionally have been the bottom line people. Anything that generates a robust ROI (return on investment) is a good thing. Right? But no, Republicans have been attacking the University ever since Scott Walker became governor. Now that the Dems control the top position, the attack dogs are found in the Assembly and Senate.

What is the latest line of attack? Voss and his minions are going after programs designed to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I initiatives) on the campus. Yes, this is where they have drawn the most recent line in the sand. They don’t want anything done that might provide educational access to underserved populations either in terms of improving access to the university or enhancing the prospects of success once enrolled. Apparently, they want to restrict access to the American dream to white, affluent families.

Voss et. al. started their attack by threatening to cut all the money going to postions working on D.E.I. concerns (roughly $32 million systems wide). But with the university running a surplus and with these initiatives representing such a small fraction of the total budget, this was not much of the threat. So, more recently, they have threatened to eliminate all pay raises if the university insists that diversity remain an important goal.

Now, think about that for a moment. While universities can always fill faculty positions, research universities are always competing for the top talent, often poaching stars from other schools. They need the best and brightest to bring in the research grants necessary to mantaining a stellar reputation and, frankly, keeping the institution going. If you can no longer attract these top people, or they are stolen by competitor institutions, the whole enterprise can quickly unravel.

The pettiness of our Republican statemen doesn’t stop there. Recently, they refused to sanction the building of a new engineering complex even though the cost would not fall on taxpayers. In response, the university administrators are seeking the freedom to decide what facilities they need if the cost is privately covered. Not expand STEM-focused facility. How moronic must you be to support that? Even idiots know we need more engineers to compete in the high-tech global economy.

Let’s face it, the conservatives dominating today’s Wisconsin Republican Party are using the University as a convenient punching bag. The strategic approach of that party is focused on inciting hatred and tribalism among their base. A convenient target for such enmity is the educated elite who are capable of independent thinking. Such folk are more likely to be able to connect the dots and determine self-interest. They will easily calculate that pursuing only those policies that favor a tiny sliver of the state’s wealthiest people is a narrowly conceived and counter- productive approach. That is, an educated population capable of independent thought will not likely support transparently stupid policies. Thus, they want their base to see what they consider the educated elite as some kind of enemy. How short sighted.

Unfortunately, the divide and conquer tactic has worked in the past. Keep the base riled up works on the short term. Convincing rural whites that any help directed at those who have been excluded in the past is an attack on their interests is, unfortunately, an easy sell. Convince voters that this is a zero-sum game where democrats represent the other side, and you can get people to vote against their own interests. They are more interested in ‘sticking it to those they dont like’ than improving things for all.

A thought struck me as I considered such things. The state contribution is getting smaller and smaller each year, yet their attempts to micromanage this important institution continue to increase. Will they next be trying to manage what is taught in the classrooms as DeSantis is trying to do in Florida. Do you want those who support censorship and book banning to determine what is taught and how? I think not.

So, why not begin the process of severing the relationship between the flagship campus and the state. Research and the education of the next generation are too important to be left to provincial politicians motivated by the worst of instincts and intentions. We need great universities where truth can be pursued vigorously and independently, where the future is continuously reinvented. We need strong and independent institutions like Wisconsin-Madison has been for decades.

I’m not certain that severing the university’s ties to state government can work, but it is a place to start a vigorous debate.