Archive for December, 2007

Chancellor search: Quo vadimus, UW?

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

In the first post on this blog, GWP rightly focused on the central issue of selecting a new chancellor to run this great university. He raised three questions:

  • What are the most important qualifications to look for in our next Chancellor and why?
  • Do you believe that the next Chancellor should be recruited from inside or outside the UW system? Why?
  • In which ways do you believe that Dr. Wiley’s chancellorship was especially effective and therefore worth emulating by our future Chancellor? In which ways do you believe his leadership could be significantly improved upon?

I’m not particularly insistent on the person being from inside or outside, and the Cap Times editorial (along with other sources) has outlined the major accomplishments and shortcomings of Wiley’s tenure pretty well. But since I first saw it, that first question has stuck in my mind like a splinter you can’t quite get out, and I’ve been asking people what they think about it. (more…)

Posted in State-University Relations, The UW-Madison Campus | 2 Comments »

Textbooks and the Free Market

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007

Whatever you think of the “magic of the free market”, there are a few situations in which it indisputably breaks down (or would break down) if left entirely to its own devices. Mail delivery to Gnome, Alaska. Medical care for indigents. College textbook prices.

(more…)

Posted in College costs, Instruction | 5 Comments »

Outrageous Chancellor Pay Package

Saturday, December 15th, 2007

The Cap Times has an article today titled “Pay will limit chancellor search.” It seems that $322,000 plus a recently renovated mansion to live in, a state car, and “generous benefits” is simply not enough to attract quality candidates. The problem, they tell us, is that this compensation is low compared to that received by the leaders of our peer institutions. The article says that the regents “will consider increasing pay by asking taxpayers or the [UW] foundation to contribute more.” I say absolutely not. I object to implementation of the CEO pay plan model in academia in general and at the UW in particular, and think this is the right time to take a stand.
(more…)

Posted in Compensation, The UW-Madison Campus, The University System | 5 Comments »

The Toxic Two Percent

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

After months of delay, the budget numbers are now in. State lawmakers have approved a pay package that boosts UW System faculty and academic staff pay by 2 percent for AY 2007-2008, 2 percent again for AY 2008-2009, and another 1 percent in April 2009. For reference, faculty salaries systemwide are about 8.5 percent behind peer colleges and universities, and academic staff salaries are about 20 percent behind, according to System President Kevin Reilly. Clearly this package will do little to close those gaps. And undoubtedly, there will continue to be handwringing over a brain drain as some of the best and brightest on this campus get recruited away by universities willing to pay substantially more.

Saving the University (so far) from a far more severe haemorrhage of talent is a surprisingly simple fact: Many of us still love the University of Wisconsin and the city of Madison enough to ignore the lure of higher pay.

(more…)

Posted in Compensation, Retention, The UW-Madison Campus, The University System | No Comments »

Contribute Topics for Discussion

Sunday, December 9th, 2007

This site will host reports and opinion pieces on any of a variety of issues of relevant to the policies, governance and administration of UW-Madison. Special interest articles may also be considered.

Typically, we will post either a solicited or unsolicited article that will lead off a new discussion thread. That article will then serve as the nucleus for an open-ended discussion via reader comments. (more…)

Posted in Future topics, Site Information | No Comments »

Choosing a New Chancellor

Sunday, December 9th, 2007

Today, December 9, 2007, marks the birth of this forum. Sifting and Winnowing has barely seen the light of day, and not a single article or comment has been posted — this will be the first. It is an astonishing coincidence that, just as the project mission statement was being formulated and site software being selected, the news broke that John D. Wiley would be stepping down as Chancellor at the end of the current academic year.

This forum may never have a better opportunity to prove its worth. Can the staff and faculty of UW-Madison, through this medium, weigh in and help define the criteria by which a new chancellor will be selected? Will the Board of Regents be interested in the priorities of those who will be most directly affected by the new chancellor’s leadership? (more…)

Posted in The UW-Madison Campus, The University System | 1 Comment »