GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Tiffany Speaks at UW-Madison

Tiffany was hosted by the College Republicans of UW-Madison for a conversation on higher education

Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany spoke at UW-Madison on February 17th. Tiffany, a former state legislator now serving as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s seventh congressional district, drew from his experience to discuss fiscal accountability, free speech, and student retention within the UW System.

Tuition Freeze and Funding

Tiffany’s immediate plans as governor would include implementing a tuition freeze in the first budget. This follows the recent $256 million budget increase and tuition hike across the Universities of Wisconsin. However, he couldn’t commit to reductions without more study, emphasizing UW-Madison’s importance to the state and its economy. While serving in the state legislature, Tiffany was part of a previous tuition freeze.

“Ultimately, the buzzword for me and my administration, if elected, will be accountability,” Tiffany stated. He also raised concerns over the growing number of administrative positions that are being funded across the UW system, relative to the number of students, emphasizing the need to direct more money to the classroom.

Tiffany mentioned this when discussing bonding authority for the UW System, which would give the university the ability to borrow independently for projects without state-level approvals. Tiffany preferred to have accountability for the UW System through the state legislature.

“At this time, I would not be willing to relinquish that authority,” Tiffany stated. Tiffany expressed willingness to engage with the UW to allow it, but he “would have to see things change here at the UW, especially on the fiscal side.”

Free Speech on Campus

Tiffany expressed concern about free speech on campus, citing UW-Madison’s free speech grade of F by FIRE. He highlighted a survey stat: “35 percent of students think that it’s okay to use violence to stop somebody from speaking. [...] That’s deeply disturbing.”

Tiffany advocated for statutory changes in the legislation while also emphasizing the Board of Regents’ role in the matter. He would question new regents about their stance on free speech and how they would protect it. He described the University of Chicago’s policy as “the gold standard” of what free speech policy should be.

While Tiffany believes the key to free speech on campus begins with the regents, he urged that it needed to be reinforced by UW leadership and faculty amid free speech suppression on campuses nationwide.

A ‘Wisconsin First’ Approach for Students

Tiffany pushed for prioritizing in-state students, stating, “We will have a Wisconsin-first stance with my administration.” He already introduced a bill federally in July that would require universities to work under the 65,000 H-1B visa limit, removing their current exemption from this limit.

Common criticisms of the proposal include that U.S. citizens are not trained well enough for such positions, to which Tiffany responded, “Isn’t that an indictment of the job that [universities] are doing? And so we are going to put the Wisconsin back in the UW.” While Tiffany does not want full exclusion from foreign nations and out of state, he stressed, “The UW System was set up for Wisconsinites.”

Tiffany said he has heard about more Wisconsin students going to SEC schools, attributing this to the more welcoming campus environment of southern universities. He hopes that by reforming campus free speech policies, the best and brightest will stay in Wisconsin.

In closing, Tiffany positioned UW-Madison as an “engine that drives Wisconsin’s economy,” but one needing reforms for accountability, freedom, and local focus to ensure it serves Wisconsinites first and fosters long-term growth.