A bipartisan group of state lawmakers have rallied around a bill to provide funding for a 130-year-old farm training program as it transitions to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
It would be a significant change for the Farm and Industry Short Course, or FISC, after being a self-funded program at UW-Madison, where it originated in 1886.
UW-Madison announced in 2022 that it was ending the 16-week on-campus certificate program, with plans to transition to a mix of online and in-person trainings. University officials said enrollment had been declining over the last decade, and the smaller classes weren't enough to support operation of the revenue-generating course.
This spring, UW-River Falls announced it was taking over FISC and would continue to operate it as a residential, for-credit program. The first class of 24 students begin the program in October.
To support FISC's redevelopment, a bill introduced last month would provide $147,850 in the current fiscal year and $225,130 in the next fiscal year to cover its operating costs.
Republican state Sen. Joan Ballweg of Markesan, who authored the bill, said she feels it's important the state shows support for the new iteration of the program.
Source: wpr.org
Photo Credit: gettyimages-artqu
Categories: Wisconsin, Education