Between Chancellor John Wiley's platitudes and the not-so-anonymous anonymity of 13 ultra-rich donors, one would be hard pressed to find negatives in the newly minted Wisconsin School of Business. The $85 million is a lot of cash and, with a clever fundraising scheme in place, those at UW-Madison already dedicated to making as much money as possible are likely to see a lot more in about 20 years. While those with deep pockets rejoice, the rest of UW-Madison struggles in comparison.
Although it is tempting to level criticism at those capable of giving $5 million individually to a specific school while other parts of campus crumble, it would not be fair to do so.
After all, most of the benefactors had some connection to the business school, which prepared them so well that they were able to gain wealth and give back to those with similar economic intentions. It was their gift and their right, though it is difficult to suppress cynicism when a group of people supposedly interested in keeping the school nameless are widely available for interviews and praise after the fact.
The unfortunate reality is that public institutions such as UW-Madison have increasingly become private ventures in the last decade, with government money accounting for less than 20 percent of current university funding. Perhaps not surprisingly, the business school has adapted best, realizing that educational institutions must now be run like companies and attract donors to succeed. Only the UW Athletic Department can boast a better financial model, and 80,000 people have never flocked to University Avenue and Park Street to cheer on a lecture about foreign stock markets.
For humanities, languages and arts, there is essentially no help on the way. There is no big check en route from the Capitol that will bring the rest of campus up to par. Conservative lawmakers have gutted UW-Madison funding for years, and would likely be pleased with a scenario in which individual departments function as private entities with no help from the State.
The onus falls on graduates of other UW-Madison schools and on those currently in charge of their fundraising efforts. Like it or not, the business school is thriving largely because of private donations. As the university at large slips ever so subtly in national rankings, students and professors interested in other fields will begin to look elsewhere. Unless the private sector steps up, or State lawmakers miraculously reconsider, UW-Madison will probably fall down. But that, sadly, is just business.
