SB 700

The bill requires the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

to award merit-based annual $5,000 scholarships to students enrolled in two-year

or four-year UW schools who have graduated from an in-state high school or been

granted a high school diploma by the administrator of an in-state home-based

private educational program. The scholarships are called “Wisconsin Merit

scholarships.” The bill requires the Board of Regents to determine student merit

based on performance on standardized college entrance examinations and, if

applicable, cumulative high school grade point averages. Under current law, income

and interest from the normal school fund is appropriated to the Board of Regents to

do the following annually: 1) make need-based grants totaling $100,000 to students

at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies who are members of

underrepresented groups; 2) provide scholarships totaling $100,000 to students

enrolled in the sustainable management degree program through the

UW-Extension; and 3) award the balance to the UW-Stevens Point for

environmental programs. Under the bill, the Board of Regents must provide

$300,000 annually to the UW-Stevens Point for environmental programs and award

the balance in the scholarships required under the bill.