Sifting and Winnowing

A new blog post by Paul Fanlund, editor of the Capitol Times, seems to capture exceptionally well the predicament we all now find ourselves in as a result of the ongoing controversy over the New Badger Partnership:

Madison360: UW-Madison’s sad and confusing family feud

Perhaps Mr. Fanlund’s most salient point is that if Ph.D.s with deep knowledge of University affairs can’t agree, how can ordinary mortals, including on- and off-campus newspaper editors and bloggers, presume to make confident pronouncements concerning the “correct” path for UW-Madison?

And does this dilemma not underscore the tragic missed opportunity for a more deliberative process — one that would have included input from many  thoughtful and knowledgeable campus citizens before committing irrevocably to a risky and controversial split from the UW System?   Sad indeed.

On September 1, 2008, Biddy Martin assumed the office of chancellor of UW-Madison.   On November 2, 2010, Scott Walker was elected governor of Wisconsin.

Two-and-a-half months before Biddy assumed the chancellorship, and almost two-and-a-half years before Walker was elected, noted progressive activist Ed Garvey had the following to say in his blog entry of June 16, 2008:

Carolyn “Biddy” Martin will soon be the new Chancellor at UW Madison. Scott Walker is a Milwaukee-based privatizer and Milwaukee County Executive. Both will play significant roles in our future. Will Biddy go with the privatizers or will she defend our great state university from the attack led by Walker and Sykes? (more…)

The demand for Professor Bill Cronon’s emails by the Wisconsin Republican Party prompted the UW System Board of Regents to review its support for academic freedom throughout its history.  At its April board meeting the Regents again was emphatic in its interest in continuing that tradition.  This received virtually no notice in the media because it was not news.  The Board of Regents has been supporting academic freedom throughout its history.  It is one of its most important legacies.  The board has done such a good job it is taken for granted. (more…)