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Provost search narrows
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by Andriy Pazuniak
Sunday, January 15, 2006
University of Wisconsin administrators expect Chancellor John Wiley to fill the vacant provost position, second in rank at the university, early this spring.
In what seems to be a rough start though, one of the candidates from the finalized list recently accepted a comparable position at another university and another candidate once made controversial comments regarding single-sex education.
The Search Committee for a New Provost narrowed its search for a successor to Peter Spear — who retired from the position in late October — to Patrick Farrell, executive associate dean of the UW College of Engineering; Sue Rosser, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology; and Kumble Subbaswamy, who was since named the new provost at the University of Kentucky Jan. 6.
"It is up to [Wiley] to choose the individual he thinks he can work best with," UW professor Mary Behan, who chaired the 16-member search committee, said. "He's free to make any choice, but, in general, the chancellor takes faculty input very seriously."
Candidates will continue with the interview process in the coming weeks and Behan said she expects Wiley to name the new provost in February.
According to Behan, the new provost will be responsible for the "academic mission of the university," and his or her specific duties will include chairing the Campus Policy Committee.
"It's a very significant role," Behan noted, adding she was confident in each candidate's ability as a potential provost.
But according to some university officials, Rosser is considered the favorite.
Rosser, a one-time candidate for UW provost in 1995 and a UW alumnus, said in a phone interview she was "encouraged to send an application" by UW representatives.
Before becoming dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Georgia Tech, Rosser served for four years as the director of the Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research at the University of Florida.
While at Florida, Rosser made some controversial statements in regard to the role gender plays in the learning environment.
In an April 9, 1998, article in the Independent Florida Alligator — a Florida student newspaper — Rosser was quoted as saying in reference to separating men and women in the classroom that "it comes down to the fact that the students and faculty can concentrate on the subject matter in the classroom."
In an interview with The Badger Herald, however, Rosser said she does not advocate single-sex education in large public universities, but said "in certain instances it can have real value" and "can be helpful."
Single-sex education, she said, is not something she would pursue at UW.
"I believe there should be a place for such an institution," Rosser said. "But it's not something that should be going on at a large public institution like UW."
Farrell, the other remaining candidate, has been part of the UW College of Engineering since 1982, first as a member of the mechanical engineering faculty. He was named the associate dean for academic affairs for the College of Engineering in 2001 and became executive associate dean last year.
In a phone interview, Farrell spoke about the need to "reexamine" how UW works while maintaining the university's quality undergraduate programs and status as a nationally recognized research institution.
"We need to look at what we do and how we do it," Farrell said, adding the budget was a major issue. "Our resources sometimes don't allow us to do some things … even though they're good ideas."
The next step in the process, according to Behan, is for both Rosser and Farrell to meet with deans, student representatives and other members of the UW community in January during a three-day interview period.
UW Associate Vice Chancellor Virginia Sapiro, who has served as interim provost since Spear's retirement, is not a final candidate for the position, though university officials said she applied. Both Behan and Sapiro declined comment on Sapiro's candidacy.
