Opinion

Who’s afraid of Virginia Sapiro?

When the search and screen committee for a new provost reported back with a list of three candidates that did not include Virginia Sapiro, an active wound was inflicted upon the University of Wisconsin by denying the most qualified applicant the job that she would so ably perform.

But, sadly, it now seems that the catastrophically inept committee may have caused even greater injury. Ms. Sapiro is well deserving of a senior administrative post — namely provost or chancellor — and that is no secret. So with Wisconsin shunning one of its finest faculty assets, the wooing has now officially begun.

The University of Kansas has now tapped Ms. Sapiro its first finalist for the position of provost and, as this paper goes to press, she is in Lawrenceville visiting a rather respectable suitor. Frankly, KU would be ill-advised to not formally offer Ms. Sapiro the high post, and we have trouble believing two schools could make that same abhorrent error in such a short time.

Moreover, with matters remaining as they are, it would seem difficult to offer a convincing reason why Ms. Sapiro shouldn't accept this job if offered or any of the others she could so easily be given. And that is precisely why Chancellor John Wiley must look beyond the chillingly mind-numbing recommendations of this search and screen committee, either commissioning a new panel or working outside the narrow list of candidates.

Keep in mind, only two such candidates remain and, as we have previously discussed, one of them is a radical ideologue with an academic agenda that would have last been considered progressive during the era of Reconstruction.

Ms. Sapiro would be good for Wisconsin's future — she is a talented, able and incredibly decent administrator with remarkable institutional knowledge. Furthermore, given her application for the post and lengthy tenure on campus, we must assume that UW's provostship would be good for Ms. Sapiro on a permanent basis.

And so Chancellor Wiley must do everything in his power to ensure that Ms. Sapiro will one day look back on this trip to Lawrenceville with a grin from atop Bascom Hill.