About
The Board of Regents & the University of Wesconsin System
Porter is one of the smaller campuses in the University of Wesconsin System — here is what that means for who actually runs the place.
Two layers of leadership
The chancellor and campus leadership (see leadership) run Porter day to day — admissions, hiring, program approval within existing authority, campus operations. The Board of Regents and the System president sit above every individual UW campus, setting system-wide policy, approving new degree programs, and holding the final vote on tuition rates.
What the Board of Regents actually votes on
Regents set tuition and fee rates system-wide each year, approve or reject new degree programs proposed by individual campuses, hire and evaluate campus chancellors and the System president, and approve the System’s biennial budget request to the state legislature. A student wondering why a tuition increase was announced in the spring for the following fall is looking at a Regents decision, not a Porter-specific one.
Regent meetings are public
Board of Regents meetings are open to the public and include a public-comment period; the schedule and agenda for upcoming meetings are posted on the System website. Porter’s student body president and a Porter faculty representative both have standing invitations to relevant committee meetings, though voting seats belong to the Regents themselves.
Why "University of Wesconsin–Porter Falls Polytechnic"
The System naming convention puts every comprehensive campus under the "University of Wesconsin–[campus]" pattern, which is why Porter’s full legal name places it alongside every other UW System comprehensive university rather than standing alone.