While the rest of the country is in recession, it appears from all the new buildings going up on the UW-Madison campus that this university (like other top universities across the country) is experiencing boom times–at least where facilities are concerned.
Most of the construction on the UW-Madison campus is going up toward the west end of campus, and it involves science facilities which will be productive of knowledge relevant to business applications–although there is some activity in the areas of dorm construction (students prefer the new luxury dorms), a new student union building (Union South, replacing a facility that was built in the 1970s) and the liberal arts (a new addition to the art museum).
What is going on is obvious: the leadership groups at the UW-Madison have decided that a recession is a good time in which to build, and much money can be saved (and more buildings can be built) by hiring the building trades when demand for their services is low in other sectors of the economy.
Like other corporate entities, both profit and non-profit, the UW-Madison is looking to the long-term and to its competitive position vis a vis other research universities, and it is acting accordingly to build the facilities needed to compete in the world of the 21st century.
But there are ambiguities in the midst of all the activity.
Unless you are one of the star faculty members being recruited during this slack economic period, your income as a more typical faculty member may be stagnating and your professional prospects dimming as funding for research and graduate students comes under pressure.
If you’re a graduate student, job prospects, except in a few high-tech areas, are spotty, and the financial pressures within the university make your life more difficult.
If you’re an undergraduate, academic pressures are mounting and costs for a college education continue to rise at a staggering rate (tuition at the UW-Madison has increased over 25% since the recession began in 2008). Many students will end their academic careers between $20,000 and $60,000 in debt and with doubtful job prospects.
There is much material for ethical reflection in these developments on the UW-Madison campus and on similar campuses around the country, and it is our hope to address some of these matters in our future programming and bogging.
