WSU at the MN Capitol

We are supporting the MnSCU goals by telling our own story.

I am proud of how active our campus community members are at the legislature.

Last year we convened representatives from campus groups to discuss their top goals prior to lobby visits during the bonding session. This enabled us not only to gain appreciation for the various interests of each group but also to discuss our shared goals. Then during legislative visits, each group was able to promote its own agenda as well as speak to the broader spectrum of WSU goals.

This year’s focus is on the budget. MnSCU is asking the state to fund a tuition freeze to keep the cost of a WSU education within reach for all students and to cover inflationary cost increases to ensure students have access to the same high quality education we currently offer.

We are supporting the MnSCU goals by telling our own story. Last year we experienced soft enrollment at the same time that tuition was frozen. We had limited options for balancing our budget, and responded by reducing personnel costs through the BESI program. This year, we do not have much room to trim if we don’t succeed in convincing the legislature to adopt our request.

WSU is lucky to have friends at the Capitol who are active in setting higher education policy. Representative Gene Pelowski and Senator Jeremy Miller both serve on their respective higher education committees. Let’s show them that we appreciate their support by making sure we can all speak to Winona State’s goals. You can find our legislative request summary on my website.