OPINION & EDITORIAL
With chancellor search underway, some qualities to consider
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Also by Suchita Shah:
- 'First Wave' of many: UW must focus retention efforts (December 12, 2007)
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by Suchita Shah
Monday, January 21, 2008
“World-class public research university seeks qualified chancellor with an eye on the future. Must care about students and be resilient, impassioned and energetic. Visions of growth and progress are a plus. Should enjoy regular arts nights out, ‘jumping around’ and long walks along the lake. Contact the Search and Screen Committee.”
A 50-word personal ad does not even begin to describe my wish list of qualities the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin should have. When the Search and Screen Committee begins meeting Jan. 25, they will be charged with the responsibility of finding an individual who not only understands what the Wisconsin Experience means but who also has the skills necessary to secure it for generations to come. When Chancellor John Wiley’s replacement takes the helm in September, he or she must secure the quality of UW education, innovation and commitment to improving our community.
Being the chancellor of UW is comparable to running your very own city — except you have to answer to the entire state. With an annual budget of more than $2 billion and a population of 41,000 students and 16,000 employees, this institution requires an executive who will be up to the challenge from day one.
The most important quality in a new chancellor is the strength and the will to stand up to unfriendly state legislators and to fight for the future of this public institution — not just in terms of securing a minimum operating budget, but also finding funding to improve and excel.
In this era of declining state support, Mr. Wiley’s successor must match his abilities to raise private funds. Improving professors’ salaries, preserving academic departments and programs, recruiting top-notch researchers and expanding financial aid are promises the next chancellor must uphold.
Under Mr. Wiley’s replacement, we can treat this university as a corporation with a quality product to sell and investors to convince. However, the chancellor is not a CEO with carte blanche authority. It is absolutely necessary that he or she fully understand the extolled spirit of shared governance — both its benefits and its limitations. The chancellor should recognize the importance of all viewpoints and perspectives from students, alumni, donors, faculty, staff, legislators, businesses and ordinary citizens alike.
Ultimately, that is what UW is all about: helping the community and the state through the education its students receive and the progress made on campus. No one can assume the responsibilities of the chancellor without embracing the philosophy of the Wisconsin Idea. Nevertheless, the chancellor should always keep one eye close to home on the city of Madison and foster community partnerships to improve campus safety, discuss city council initiatives and expand service learning.
Undoubtedly, the next chancellor will have significant obstacles to overcome, with a short list that includes reaccredidation, fighting for domestic partnership benefits and labor rights, addressing the binge-drinking culture, inevitable tuition increases, preserving academic freedom, fulfilling the terms of the Charter Street coal plant settlement and the never-ending quest to recruit and retain a diverse student body at UW.
In confronting these challenges, Mr. Wiley’s replacement cannot be daunted by the forces of the status quo and must not be afraid to take risks. Decisions that the next chancellor makes may not be the most popular during an individual student’s four-year career at UW, but he or she needs a definite vision for the future and should concentrate on long-term progress.
I don’t want a chancellor who wants to be my best friend; I want a chancellor who is willing to take criticism and get used to protests — as long as the sifting and winnowing contributes to the success of the university.
It would be nice if the next chancellor were someone already present here on campus, as Mr. Wiley was himself. But in our desire to maintain institutional memory, we cannot settle for a candidate merely because he or she is already present on campus. I’ll take institutional memory as the cherry on top of a figurative Badger Blast sundae of experience, quality and vision. No matter what the background of UW’s next chancellor, he or she needs to value every aspect of this world-class institution: undergraduate and graduate, the sciences and equally the humanities, research and its applications in public service.
Even if the next chancellor has been here in Madison for decades, he or she cannot remain insulated in Bascom Hall. To be a success, Mr. Wiley’s replacement has to become a member of the campus community, understand what students are involved in and why we choose to continue our education here, recognize that faculty are leaving and fight to retain them, realize that there is discontent and work to remedy it, and march up State Street to the Capitol while reading the sidewalk chalkings and protest flyers on the way.
The individual who follows Mr. Wiley cannot treat the position as merely his or her job — it must be his or her undying passion to move UW forward.
Suchita Shah (sshah@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in neurobiology.
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