It is a budget story. Wisconsin competes in newly priced markets with a budget model built for a slower world. The state effectively constrains what the university can charge and directly limits what it can borrow; inside the university and athletics, money still follows history more than what those markets now require.
tninmann
Developing and Retaining a Skilled Workforce in Wisconsin
7.14.26 Wisconsin’s skilled workforce gap isn’t a pipeline problem. The state meets or exceeds national averages in high school completion, college enrollment, and in-state attendance. The bigger challenges: demographics, talent attraction, and high-skill retention.
The Tax No One Voted For
6.30.26 Inflation is a tax nobody voted for. No bill, no roll call, no name on it. For five years Wisconsin families paid it at the pump and the checkout — and a chunk quietly piled up in the state’s treasury.
UW–Madison’s In-State Tuition Is Too Damn Low
6.4.26 UW–Madison is a top research university charging a resident price that ranks 12th-lowest of the 38 public AAU universities, because for a decade that price was frozen by political decision rather than set by the economics of the enterprise.
NIL and Badger Football’s Decline
4.17.26 Wisconsin football posted back-to-back losing seasons (5-7, 4-8) for the first time since 1991-92. We trace the collapse to the NIL era’s structural transformation — and the economic effects are already emerging in Dane County.
Rising Health Care Costs in Wisconsin: The Case for Price Transparency
4.6.26 Hospital prices have risen far faster than wages or general inflation, placing real burdens on Wisconsin employers, workers, and the state’s long-term competitiveness. This report takes a measured look at the data and a practical policy path forward.
Shorter Parole, Safer Streets, Lower Costs
4.16.26 EVENT Derek Neal “Shorter Parole, Safer Streets, Lower Costs”
Economic Impact of Exact Sciences on Dane County and WI
3.19.26 Exact Sciences’ relocation to Madison has driven a total economic impact of ~20,650 jobs and $6-7 billion in added GDP for Wisconsin — roughly 1.7-2% of the entire state economy. Released just ahead of the Abbott acquisition.
Three-Year (90-Credit) Bachelor’s Degrees at UW
3.12.26 College functions as both investment and consumption good. The report evaluates why 90-credit pathways deliver strong returns while respecting families who prioritize earnings over full residential experience.
Degrees of Deception: UW-Madison Leads Where Earnings Matter Most
2.6.26 A recent report shows that UW-Madison graduates have the fourth highest median earnings among all postsecondary institutions in Wisconsin, behind Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), Marquette University and Bellin College.