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Vice provost decision overdue

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by Ken Harris

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Nearly four months after the three finalists were announced, the University of Wisconsin still does not have a new vice provost of diversity and climate.

According to Michael Thornton, chair of the Search and Screen Committee that nominated the candidates, UW has been without a vice provost for diversity and climate for the entire school year. He said the position has been vacant since Bernice Durand, who formerly held the position, retired at the end of summer 2007.

Thornton added there has also been no interim staffer to fill the position.

The finalists selected by the committee were Kenneth Durgans, vice provost for institute diversity at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.; Damon Williams, assistant vice provost for multicultural affairs at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Conn.; and Seema Kapani, the current UW diversity education coordinator.

The finalist announcement was made Nov. 7.

More than two months later, UW spokesperson John Lucas said in an e-mail Jan. 31 the university was nearing the end of the search.

“UW-Madison is in the final stages of the Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate search,” Lucas said in the e-mail. “We expect to have an announcement soon.”

That same day, Kapani told The Badger Herald she had not been contacted by the Provost’s Office about the position.

“When you find out, let me know,” Kapani said.

Damon Williams would not speak about the state of the search. The only contact with UW he mentioned in an e-mail was the visits he made to the campus in December.

“I had a great series of meetings during my visit to UW-Madison,” Williams said. “However, it is a position of the Provost’s Office, and at this point I believe that updates on the status of the search should be left to Provost Farrell.”

Kenneth Durgans had not responded to attempts to reach him by phone or e-mail as of Tuesday.

Thornton said Tuesday UW is currently involved in negotiations regarding the position. He would not comment on the nature of the negotiations or discuss who is involved.

He added he does not know the reasons why a replacement for Durand has not been named yet.

Members of the Provost’s Office had no comment on the topic as of press time Tuesday.

According to a UW statement, the role of the vice provost is to “promote the recruitment and retention of minority faculty, staff and students” as well as to create a “positive environment for living, learning and working.”

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Anonymous (February 27, 2008 @ 3:02pm):

After 8 months without one, is anyone questioning why we need a vice provost in charge of diversity and climate?

Anonymous (February 27, 2008 @ 4:33pm):

After eight months without someone in this position, what I question is whether UW's efforts to improve the climate for people of color is anything more than a pose. You don't leave a position open this long without even an interim person if you think it is important.

Anonymous (February 28, 2008 @ 12:18am):

There hasn't been anyone in that position for over four years, as far as I am concerned. Can anyone name one thing Bernice Durand did in that position?

Oh, yeah, she held two focus groups three summers ago, promising that all Deans and Directors would go through training -- which never happened.

So, yes, it is a pose.

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