After Chancellor Biddy Martin stepped down during an uncertain time for the University of Wisconsin, former Chancellor David Ward will take the reigns of the system’s flagship campus July 18 while officials search for a permanent leader.
Ward, who served as chancellor from 1993-2000, accepted the position shortly after Martin’s June 14 announcement that she had taken a new role leading Amherst College. Having spent the majority of his professional career at UW, Ward is approaching his new position with excitement despite the challenges inherent in serving during a time of transition.
During an interview with The Badger Herald, Ward said he recognizes Martin’s skill at maintaining a strong relationship with students and that he believes priority must be given to good lines of communication.
Ward was particularly attuned to the nervousness an abrupt administration change may cause for students and emphasized that within nine to 12 months there will be a permanent chancellor.
“Transitions are always difficult,” Ward said. “They tend to cause anxiety, and my role will be to reduce that. It’s more a reassurance that there will be continuity.”
Holding down an interim position relies on cautiousness regarding long term decisions, Ward said. He added he plans to continue many of Martin’s initiatives already in progress.
Ward said he agrees with the outgoing chancellor’s notion of a relationship with the state that recognizes the university’s value and gives it more room for its affairs.
He added he perceives the New Badger Partnership as an amplification of past chancellors’ proposals and he aims to look forward instead of focusing on the proposal which ignited opposition from around the state.
“The New Badger Partnership simply didn’t have the legs necessary to get it through [the] Legislature, so my instinct there is to build on those principles of flexibility and figure out how to get those in other ways,” Ward said.
With cuts at approximately $94 million in the 2011-2013 Wisconsin biennium budget, Ward, who served on the American Council of Education, said a national trend is arising in which increased tuition acts as a substitute for declining state support.
Under these circumstances, Ward said he believes an agreement needs to be discussed in regard to what an appropriate state and student investment in education is and that a partnership between parents and the state is necessary.
UW Provost Paul DeLuca said he looks forward to working closely with the new chancellor.
“I have always been impressed by Chancellor Ward’s skill set,” DeLuca said. “He understands the campus extremely well, has a terrific track record and uniquely understands the position of the institution vis-?-vis the university and legislature.”
DeLuca added he looks forward to a smooth transition to a new leader for the university.
In spite of the obstacles the coming year will hold, Ward is sentimental concerning his return to Madison, where he first arrived as a grad student in 1960.
“I never imagined I would be brought back from retirement, so I’m looking forward to renewing many old memories of experiences. In some ways, this is a personal returning. I’m excited to reconnect and give back,” Ward said.
