In an Appleton Post-Crescent column, resident Tim Higgins supported the governor’s plan to restructure the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a public authority.

“The proposed budget offers the UW System the flexibility it has been asking for — but taking it in steps. Wisconsin taxpayers, who have loyally supported the UW for 162 years, have a right to ask the UW to prove that claimed benefits of flexibility will enhance efficiency before approving a radical restructuring of the entire system,” he wrote.

Higgins added: “Forty years ago, Wisconsinites had the foresight to change their precious university system to meet the challenges of a new era. We are called to do so again — one step at a time.”