Back when he was running for the Republican nomination for president, Scott Walker had a problem. The Madison-based Center for Media and Democracy broke the story that, as part of a broader assault on higher education, the governor’s 2015-17 budget sought to eliminate language committing the University of Wisconsin to public service in the interest of the whole population of the state.

Walker’s attempt to eliminate language detailing that “Wisconsin Idea” pledge caused a lot of controversy in Wisconsin, and nationally. It was embarrassing for Walker because it reinforced an impression of him as a political careerist who had little interest in public education or public service.

There wasn’t anything presidential about getting caught trying to eliminate a commitment that the UW hails as “one of the longest and deepest traditions surrounding the University of Wisconsin,” a principle “synonymous with Wisconsin for more than a century” and an idea that “has become the guiding philosophy of university outreach efforts in Wisconsin and throughout the world.”

There wasn’t anything presidential about rewriting the UW’s mission to do away with its historic commitment “to educate people and improve the human condition” and to “serve and stimulate society.”