When Provost Peter Spear packed his bags and bid adieu to the University of Wisconsin earlier this week, this campus lost an accomplished administrator who helped guide the university to where it is today.

Coming to UW as a psychology professor in the mid-'70s, Provost Spear has been one of the few constants at a university that shuffles administrators more frequently than a Vegas blackjack dealer. He has seen UW transform itself from a campus known primarily for its radical activism and copious consumption of beer into a top-tier university on par with any college across the country.

After a five-year hiatus at the University of Colorado, Mr. Spear returned to Madison, this time as provost.

More recently, Mr. Spear has championed diversity issues, pushing programs meant to increase multiculturalism on campus. And while Madison is anything but a bastion of diversity, we applaud Provost Spear for his efforts.

When countless higher-ups in the university were reeling in the wake of the Barrows scandal, Provost Spear emerged as one of the few administrators with a clean slate. Nor was Mr. Spear accused of any wrongdoing when it came to felonious professors Cohen, Clark and Coronado. In none of these cases was Mr. Spear accused of mishandling the situation, incompetence or nepotism — something that unfortunately cannot be said for all the powers that be in Bascom Hall.

As Mr. Spear retires to Tucson, Ariz., we hope he leaves with fond memories of his long and distinguished career in Madison, and we hope the university finds an equally talented and dedicated administrator.