The Capital Times Campus Connection has just reported that David Ward will be named the interim chancellor.
The full story is here
.
Update: WISC-TV has tweeted that the start date will be July 18.
Archive for June, 2011
Cap Times: David Ward to be interim chancellor.
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011Press conference today to announce interim chancellor selection.
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011At a news conference scheduled today at 4 p.m., UW System President Kevin Reilly and Board of Regents President Michael Spector will announce the selection of an interim chancellor for UW-Madison.
Coverage of the news conference will presumably be carried here, among other local outlets.
How to fail as chancellor of a public university.
Tuesday, June 21st, 2011From the Chronicle of Higher Education (June 19):
Its Leader Under Fire, UMass Flagship Has No Clear Route to Elite Status
Excerpt:
When chancellors appear to work back channels without buy-in from a system, they often undermine their own causes, says Aims C. McGuinness Jr., a senior analyst at the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, a nonprofit consulting group. He equated Mr. Holub’s medical-school move with recent efforts to gain autonomy by Carolyn A. (Biddy) Martin, the departing chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who was criticized by system officials when they learned of her quiet pursuit of a plan to break away from the system.
“That is exactly Biddy Martin behavior, going around the system, ignoring the need to work and play effectively with others,” Mr. McGuinness says. “Playing politics is prescription No. 1 for creating major governance problems,” and can mean the failure of a chancellorship or a presidency.
In the midst of a perfect storm, a call to all hands on deck.
Monday, June 20th, 2011Between the new state budget, the end of collective bargaining rights for public workers, the implementation of painful new policies on fringe benefits, and the imminent departure of Chancellor Biddy Martin, the University of Wisconsin-Madison finds itself in the midst of a “perfect storm” of political, economic, and administrative challenges. As tempting as it might be to continue focusing exclusively on one’s own teaching, research, and/or support responsibilities and assume that the future of this great university is in good hands, icebergs abound, and they demand our full attention and active participation. (more…)
It’s time to move on…
Sunday, June 19th, 2011Biddy is moving on. We have to move on.
Higher education is changing. We see this in how students approach learning, the infusion of technologies into our everyday work habits and the financial stresses on our organization. Biddy is a strong leader who is future focused, she recognizes that changes are needed and fights to make them happen. There is no question that our leadership and administration must be vigilant and continually examine whether changes should be made that would enhance our endeavors. But, running a university is a people business. You must take into account the people of the organization or risk becoming irrelevant. (more…)
A sad day … and a new chapter.
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011Biddy Martin has a great many admirers on the UW-Madison campus. This is no surprise, as her public persona is very appealing: she is exceptionally intelligent, articulate, diplomatic — all the qualities, in fact, cited in the Amherst press release announcing her hiring.
I was among those faculty who greeted with enthusiasm her arrival as our new chancellor in September 2008, a scant three years ago. And a bit like those for whom the Obama administration failed to live up to (possibly unrealistic) expectations, I am among the most disappointed today. (more…)
Public Library Internet Access in Wisconsin is Integral to Job Seeking and Improving Employment Opportunities
Wednesday, June 8th, 2011
by Kristin R. Eschenfelder, Catherine Arnott Smith
School of Library and Information Studies
High speed access to the Internet is now an integral part of modern American life, yet proposed elimination of WiscNet, and through WiscNet Wisconsin public libraries’ low cost internet access, would hurt the most vulnerable citizens in our state: the unemployed, the underemployed and those struggling to make ends meet and better their situation in tough economic times. (more…)
Review of NBP Controversy in Inside Higher Ed
Tuesday, June 7th, 2011In Inside Higher Ed‘s otherwise balanced and comprehensive review of the NBP and its remains, one statement stands out as demonstrably false and ultimately self-serving: Near the end of the very long article, on the issue of continued state support for higher education, Martin says, “We have laid the groundwork for increased investment in higher education when the economy in Wisconsin begins to grow again.” (more…)
System and Madison: A little data
Wednesday, June 1st, 2011Bashing System and the Regents has joined football, hockey and basketball as a major sport on the UW-Madison campus, including in (often grossly insulting) comments on this blog. As Sara Goldrick-Rab has just pointed out (here), players in this game often have no data of any kind.
One theme is that System bleeds state funding to Madison, diverts money from the flagship to other campuses and that as budgets get cut, Madison suffers disproportionately. There’s evidence on this: the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau has just provided vast amounts about higher ed funding in Wisconsin. (Here are the links, with a little context.) #690 lays out the material on public authority. Check out this passage from paragraph 10 (p. 4):
When adjusted for inflation, state funding provided for UW-Madison and for all other UW System institutions decreased from 1990-91 to 2010-11. Over that period of time, state funding for UW-Madison decreased by 2.8% while state funding for all other UW System institutions decreased by 6.8%. At the same time, enrollment at UW-Madison increased by 1.5% while enrollments at all other UW System institutions increased by 23.4%. When these increases in enrollment are controlled for, state funding for UW-Madison decreased by 4.2% while state funding for all other UW System institutions decreased by 24.4%.
As I understand this, over the last 20 years, Madison has had a tiny increase in enrollments while other campuses have grown by a quarter, yet other campuses have been hit far harder by budget cuts.