In an effort to further diversity on the UW-Madison campus, Provost Peter Spear has instituted a new Associate Vice Chancellor position to handle campus-wide diversity issues. The position is a part of Spear's effort to reorganize and expand upon the duties and responsibilities of the three UW-Madison Associate Vice Chancellors.
\We want to broaden the duties of the Associate Vice Chancellors and have them better integrated with the other things that are going on around campus,"" Spear said.
Spear says that the new position, Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Climate, is a necessary addition to the UW-Madison Provost's administrative office.
""Mainly I wanted a point person for diversity and climate issues. Those concerns were being dealt with by the existing Associate Vice Chancellors, and I wanted one person who could really focus on them and be proactive with the diversity and climate concerns on campus,"" Spear said.
The Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Climate will front UW-Madison's continuing efforts to expand diversity on campus. The Provost's office hopes to have the position, which is open to tenured UW-Madison faculty, filled by the beginning of the second semester. Spear said he is highly motivated in filling this position as ""diversity and climate issues really permeate and affect everything we do on campus.""
The new Vice Chancellor will work administratively though the UW-Madison Provost's office and on a more student orientated level through Plan 2008 and other initiatives. There will also be an emphasis on promoting the ethnic studies curriculum.
It is through the implementation of this position that the Provost's office hopes to create a larger platform for diversity at UW-Madison.
""The development of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Climate position reflects our commitment to increasing the diversity of the faculty, staff, and students as well as improving the general climate on campus,"" Spear said.
Though the Provost's office views the implementation of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Climate position as a positive step toward furthering diversity on campus, some UW-Madison students are more skeptical.
""It's not really a bad thing, but it's not really proactive at all. It doesn't seem to actively bring anything to the students,"" said Mike Daily, a UW-Madison junior.
Lisa Gold, another UW-Madison junior agrees.
""To me, it sounds like an unnecessary addition. Not that furthering diversity isn't important, but it seems that it's just for show to make it look like the university is doing something about the lack of diversity on campus,"" she said.
The establishment of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Climate is part of an effort by the UW-Madison Provost's office to reorganize and expand upon the duties of the three Associate Vice Chancellors.
