If you are at all interested in supporting collaboration between non-profits and universities, particularly J-Schools, please consider signing our petition<http://www.thepetitionsite.com/999/807/696/support-for-the-wisconsin-center-for-investigative-journalism/> . http://www.thepetitionsite.com/999/807/696/support-for-the-wisconsin-center-... The Wisconsin GOP have targeted our non-partisan, non-profit Center for Investigative Journalism <http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/>, housed in our School of Journalism & Mass Communication. They occupy two tiny rooms in our department, receive no money from the state, and are transparent about all of their funding sources (http://www.wisconsinwatch.org/). They work with our students, teach them as interns, lecture in our classes, and collaborate on investigative projects. On Wednesday June 5, the following amendment was added to Wisconsin's pending budget bill: *Center for Investigative Journalism. Prohibit the Board of Regents from permitting the Center for Investigative Journalism to occupy any facilities owned or leased by the Board of Regents. In addition, prohibit UW employees from doing any work related to the Center for Investigative Journalism as part of their duties as a UW employee.* The School of Journalism & Mass Communication vehemently opposes this provision, not only because it prohibits a successful, productive, and award-winning collaboration in research, teaching, and service having clear and overwhelming benefits for both our students and the residents of the state, but also because it represents a serious threat to shared governance and academic freedom. We also believe this to have serious First Amendment infringements as well as to hold implications for other non-profit collaborations across the university system. *In addition, we worry about the precedence this will set for the large number of other universities with similar investigative centers and non-profit partnerships! * The bill soon goes to the governor and we are hoping he will veto this line item. Please consider making it known there is broad support for collaboration between universities and non-profits, and sign this petition. Also, if you could distribute widely, we'd appreciate it! Thank you! Sue Robinson Associate Professor University of Wisconsin-Madison