With the Dec. 21 deadline for application rapidly approaching, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is on the brink of beginning its search for a proficient replacement to Interim Chancellor David Ward. As an editorial board and as students, we believe that it is necessary for certain qualities to be embodied by the incoming chancellor, whoever he or she may be.
This university has a history of interacting with students and respecting the strong student voice present on campus. It is important to us that our history continues with the new chancellor. As one of the only universities in the nation with the privilege of shared governance (in which students have a position within university decision-making), it is important to us that the new chancellor has a respect for that system and for students that work to represent the views of their peers to the administration.
Chancellor Ward has not been entirely satisfactory in his respect for shared governance. He overrode significant decisions made by the Associated Students of Madison—as with the Multicultural Student Coalition decision last Spring—and did not communicate well with student leaders, keeping them in the dark on important administrative affairs. For the incoming chancellor, it is important that he or she forge a strong relationship with our school’s student government. He or she must be willing to work closely with student leaders, focusing on increasing cooperation with ASM committees and the Labor Licensing Policy Committee and maintaining a transparent administration.
In our opinion, Biddy Martin was an excellent model of a positive relationship between students and the chancellor. Not only did she become a campus celebrity for her famous responsiveness to individual students, but she showed a genuine interest in shared governance and gave student leaders the respect they deserve. Of course, neither the chancellor and the administration nor ASM have a responsibility to follow the exact wishes of the other, but cooperation and respect is the foundation of progress for the coming years.
Finally, it is important to this editorial board that the incoming chancellor is politically savvy and knows how to communicate effectively with the state government that is so intertwined in the workings of our university. It can be difficult to work through the bureaucratic and political divisiveness that has been plaguing our state; it is absolutely imperative that the incoming chancellor is able to fight for an increased or sustained budget from the state government in order to protect our interests. We believe a positive relationship with state politicians is the best way to reach those goals.
It is also worth noting that as the chancellor search gets under way, so does the creation of a new diversity plan. Although the creation of the diversity plan will be left mostly to the committee that is currently being selected, it is safe to assume that the new chancellor will have a significant role to play in the creation and implementation of the new plan. The new chancellor’s ideologies and expectations for diversity on campus are important facets of the chancellor search as well, and we hope to see that play a role in deciding on the proper candidate—a well-rounded, respectful leader of our school and community.
The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board is made up of seven members of The Daily Cardinal staff. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
