Opinion
Next UW chancellor has big shoes to fill
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Also by Carla Dogan:
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Since the first day of this century we have had the privilege of being led by Chancellor John D. Wiley, a privilege that affects us both as students and as residents of the state of Wisconsin. Past chancellors have often had restrictive or even reactionary policies, bringing on such fiascos as a teaching assistant strike in 1980 and a schoolwide "speech code" that was found unconstitutional by a federal judge in 1991. By contrast, the focus of Mr. Wiley's chancellorship has been to adapt to the times and prepare for the future. He has been consistent in his encouragement of discussing the latest controversies candidly and in his commitment to the 2005 University of Wisconsin Campus Master Plan, which anticipates UW's evolution over the next 20 years. On the whole, Wiley's "sifting and winnowing" has indeed been continual and fearless, and so it would be in the best interests of his successor to study Wiley's guiding principles rather than the bullet points of his accomplishments over the past seven years.
This is not to suggest that singular actions are irrelevant. Even before last Friday, when Mr. Wiley announced his intention to step down in September of 2008, both critics and admirers have been mapping the shape of Wiley's legacy. Yesterday, The Badger Herald Editorial Board praised Wiley's support of research and student freedoms in particular. The University of Wisconsin is undoubtedly the most influential and longstanding institution in the state, and will be for years to come; thus, its reputation as a cutting-edge research university will depend on just that: innovative scientific research. As a trained research physicist, the chancellor has always understood this. His philosophy of planning ahead, then, is the factor that really raises our expectations for the next chancellor, whoever he or she may be.
Scientific research is the future. Nothing will be a greater boon to the state economy and the Wisconsin Idea than the advances made on this very campus. Unfortunately, the state is not taking this investment as seriously as it used to, or it cannot afford to. The scandalously long duration of this year's state budget debate shows us just how volatile state support could be in the decades ahead. Consequently, our next chancellor would be wise to maintain the warm relationship Mr. Wiley has formed with alumni, and to keep Wisconsin traditions at the heart of alumni-funded expansion.
An even greater challenge to our next chancellor will be maintaining the open exchange of ideas, even when those ideas are contentious or offensive. When discussions are silenced, issues that should be nuanced are reduced to simplistic tenets, and the debaters take sides with far less deliberation. Chancellor Wiley called for open discussion about the behavior of law professor Leonard Kaplan and former UW lecturer Kevin Barrett, for example. But his successor could perhaps learn more from his words following the case of reproducing a sensitive Danish cartoon in The Badger Herald. His statement on that topic was centered on the idea of actions carrying a social cost, since people were likely to be offended by the cartoon the Herald chose to run. He did not use any personal reservations he may have had to suggest that free speech should be limited.
Next fall, we would be extremely fortunate to have a new chancellor who similarly prioritizes First Amendment rights and tolerates doubt — even doubt of ideas regarded as common sense.
The University of Wisconsin has had chancellors in the past with diverse temperaments. The quality we have seen in Mr. Wiley, and would like to see more of in future chancellors, is open-mindedness. As demonstrated, we should not allow UW's growth to be hindered by the state's budget woes, and we must not sacrifice future conversation on uncomfortable topics by dismissing unpopular opinions today. We also cannot inhibit ourselves in research, especially in the area of biological research, else the spotlight on scientific breakthroughs will shine elsewhere.
In short, the principle of open discussion is what we have lacked in past chancellors, and what will really matter in the future as Mr. Wiley's successor works to maintain the prestige of this institution. Best of luck to whomever it will be; hopefully his or her leadership will bear as much fruit as John Wiley's has.
Carla Dogan (cdogan@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in economics.
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we had a teaching assistant strike in 2004 also
Wiley will still be remembered more for inventing the PS2 (sort of) than for his legacy as Chancellor. Really, he didn't do all that much. The "sifting and winnowing" rhetoric is simply code for "I don't want to deal with it."
Bullshit.
P.S. It's nice to know that there is a lot of freedom granted to others to have their opinions heard on this blog given that each comment is submitted for approval first.
If I wanted to give lip service, I would write for the paper.
Wiley was a disaster here. Just recall the
Paul Barrows fiasco.