Former Chancellor John Wiley was honored Monday night at the Overture Center by the Office of the Chancellor and the UW-Madison Arts Institute.
Wiley served as UW-Madison chancellor from 2001 to September 2008, and will become the interim director for the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery on Nov. 1.
Wiley greeted the crowd and introduced the performers for the event.
After the Overture Center opened in 2004, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to give our students the chance to be seen and heard by our massive community,"" Wiley said.
Following a series of songs by the Madhatters, UW System President Kevin Reilly and UW System Board of Regents President Mark Bradley went on stage to honor the exiting chancellor.
""It has never been about John. Never. It has always been about the students and the community. So John, wherever you are, I just want to thank you for that vision and for that leadership,"" Bradley said.
Wiley took the stage at the end of the ceremony and was presented with a letter from Reilly, officially declaring him a chancellor emeritus.
""In your more than four decades of experience at UW-Madison where you have been a graduate student, a professor and an administrator, you have demonstrated a high dedication to the university, students and staff, as well as a steadfast commitment to the role of higher education in improving people's lives,"" Reilly read.
During Wiley's tenure, UW-Madison had record-breaking private fundraising, which Wiley credits to the university's ability to sell itself.
""Our alumni are so proud of this university and of all of you the students that they come forward and ask how they can help and then it's just a matter of saying, 'Here's how you can help,'"" he said in an interview.
Wiley called new Chancellor Biddy Martin on stage to make an important announcement.
""The next phase in the redevelopment of the East Campus [Mall] will be a new music performance hall,"" Wiley said.
""Toward that end, we have firm commitments of $20 million and these donations will come from two anonymous donors,"" whose names will be released in the future, he said.
