Communicative disorders

by Badger Herald Editorial Board

Friday, November 14, 2008 00:00

Biddy Martin is obviously a busy woman. Nearly every group on campus has scheduled a meeting with her, and everyone wants her. This is the first University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor in nearly 20 years who has not come from former Chancellor Donna Shalala’s family of university administration, and everyone is curious as to how she operates. In fact, Martin is curious as to how people in her position handle the constant demands for attention and remarked upon that burden during a speech to area business leaders on Nov. 3.

During that speech, she noted how UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Carlos Santiago had eight vice chancellors — even though there are in fact seven such positions — and she had only four. “The fact that I have no vice chancellor for university relations, no vice chancellor for student affairs, no vice chancellor for a couple of other functions that most major universities have has really surprised me.”

She’s decided it’s time for a change. On Tuesday, UW announced the creation of a vice chancellor of university relations, which will communicate with, well, anyone with some relation to the university. Martin said the position would attempt to coordinate information and communication “across the university and between the university and outside the university.”

While we appreciate Martin’s attempt to open the lines of communication, this is not the way to do it. The state is in the middle of a $5 billion budget shortfall, and every department is going to have to make cuts. While Martin may sway some by claiming the position is “cost-neutral,” it has to be cost negative. To add an administrative position in the midst of such dire times is not only fiscally irresponsible, but it betrays a misplacement of priorities at the head office.

What’s more, it is still not clear what this position would accomplish. Martin has hinted she wants communications with UW to be less “reactive and defensive” and create more positive and proactive interaction with the public. However, if that’s the case, it’s unclear why she requires a new position to complete that goal when there is already an entire department — UW Communications —already tasked with those duties. Furthermore, former Chancellor John Wiley had no such deputy, and we had few problems talking to him on any range of subjects.

The same should be true here. UW might have some efficiency with another vice chancellor, but it’s far from necessary. It might be a strained schedule to handle the constant flow of information and demands, but it has been done and — in this economy — must be done.