I'm proud to share with you a joint statement from Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Sara Goldrick-Rab, professor of educational policy studies and sociology at UW-Madison and a member of AFT local 223, United Faculty and Academic Staff. Randi and Sara, two committed educators and unionists, strongly condemn Scott Walker's attacks on higher education, which will slash essential state funding and threaten the bedrock of academic freedom upon which higher education depends. Please share this statement widely and help us get the word out about the danger facing every university in the UW System, from Superior to Milwaukee.
- Kim Kohlhaas, President, AFT-Wisconsin
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For Immediate Release: June 18, 2015
Joint Statement on Gov. Scott Walker's Higher Education Attacks
WASHINGTON— Joint statement from American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and Sara Goldrick-Rab, professor of educational policy studies and sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s most recent attacks on higher education:
Weingarten said, “By curbing professors’ academic freedoms and by slashing the state’s higher education budget, the governor is causing irreparable damage. Worse, he appears unfazed as he attacks the working families and educators who hold together Wisconsin’s communities, to gain favor with the right-wing billionaires supporting his presidential bid. If implemented, these attacks will compromise Wisconsin’s ability to recruit and retain the best researchers and teachers, undermine state universities’ capacity to provide student support services, and discourage inventive academic work.”
Goldrick-Rab said, “The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a world-class research institution built by generations of Wisconsin citizens, professors and administrators. The governor’s proposal to destroy academic freedom by weakening tenure and abolishing shared governance is certain to harm not only UW-Madison’s hard-earned and well-deserved standing, but the access and chances of success that students currently enjoy.”
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The American Federation of Teachers is a union of 1.6 million professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do.