UW-Madison students, faculty, alumni and
Madison community members voiced opinions, concerns and suggestions for
the next UW-Madison chancellor to a panel of representatives from the
Chancellor Search and Screen Committee Tuesday.
The
session was the second in a series of public forums designed to elicit
campus and community perspectives on the necessary qualifications for
Chancellor John Wiley’s successor.
Wiley announced in December 2007 his intent to step down as UW-Madison’s chancellor by the start of the 2008 fall semester.
Marsha Mailick Seltzer, chair of the search committee and a UW-Madison professor, said she was happy with the diverse turnout.
“Our
goal is to listen to many perspectives, and we are pleased with how
many people decided to contribute,” Seltzer said. “There was bad
weather the day of the first forum, so we were hoping attendance would
be much higher this time around.”
One of the main concerns
vocalized at the panel was ethical research tactics in UW-Madison
research labs. Three speakers expressed the need for a chancellor who
was willing to not only address self interest, but public interest as
well.
“Most of the students and citizens of Madison are
completely unaware that these labs exist, much less what is going on
inside them,” Annalisa Emerson, a UW-Madison alumnus and local teacher,
said. “We need a chancellor who will lead with moral courage.”
Students spoke on topics that ranged from international relations to local student and community needs.
Almost
every speaker mentioned the need for a chancellor who was capable of
progressing the Wisconsin Idea, an idea that the university’s
boundaries do not end with the state, but expand around the globe.
Lauren
Crane, a UW-Madison sophomore and Wisconsin Student Public Interest
Research Group member, expressed the need for two-way communication
between the chancellor and students.
“We need someone who
is willing to work with the students and foster leadership. Someone who
is willing to be committed to the Wisconsin Idea and give students more
of a voice,” she said.
The committee hopes to have the
process completed before finals take place in May and have the new
chancellor publicly named by June 6.
“Some of the
viewpoints expressed today have already been discussed by the
committee, but all of the opinions and concerns will aid us in making a
decision,” Seltzer said.
The next forum will take place on
March 6 in the Dag Hammarskjold room at Union South from 4 to 5:45 p.m.
Committee members will again be on hand to gather feedback from
participants.
Individuals are also welcomed to submit
nominations for the position and any qualities necessary in a
chancellor by e-mail to chancellorsearch@bascom.wisc.edu.
