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Category: Chancellor

On Campus: Investigation into former UW-Madison athletic official could cost $100,000

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison estimated it could cost up to $100,000 to investigate a former senior athletic official accused of sexual assault, according to a work contract for the review. The university appointed former Dane County Circuit Court Judge Patrick Fiedler, now an attorney with Axley Brynelson, LLP, to lead the inquiry into John Chadima, formerly a senior associate athletic director. The contract, approved Jan. 19, states that Fiedler will charge at a rate of $300 per hour plus out-of-pocket costs.

Interim Chancellor David Ward has now tasked Fiedler to lead a second investigation into two more allegations against Chadima. Gov. Scott Walker authorized the Department of Administration to approve the hire, a spokesman for Walker said.

UW, Adidas to enter mediation over Indonesian factory workers dispute

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison will enter mediation with its exclusive athletics sponsor, Adidas, to resolve a dispute over the treatment of Indonesian factory workers, interim chancellor David Ward said Tuesday. The approach is less draconian than one Ward indicated he might take earlier this month, when he said he may put Adidas “on notice” that it was in breach of a labor code of conduct. That would have given Adidas 90 days to address concerns over severance payments to overseas workers before the university would terminate its roughly $2.5 million contract with the company.

Chris Rickert: In Chadima case, what did they know and when?

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Wisconsin State Journal

Three weeks ago, we were probably satisfied ? and happy ? that the John Chadima story had run its course….But now that as many as two people have come forward to credibly allege that Chadima assaulted them, the saga continues, if with a different focus and higher stakes.

….To his credit, UW interim chancellor David Ward has directed the panel investigating the latest allegations of abuse against Chadima to inform him of “any other matters (that) come to your attention about which I should know” ? like, for instance, a cover-up. Ward’s mandate did not include specific instructions to question athletic director Barry Alvarez or football coach Bret Bielema, said Vince Sweeney, the vice chancellor for university relations.

UW police investigating third allegation against Chadima

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Wisconsin State Journal

A third allegation of misconduct involving an adult male has been cast against a former top UW athletic official, adding to a growing investigation of John Chadima. Interim UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward said in a statement Thursday the UW-Madison Police Department is investigating the allegation and has deemed it “credible,” but did not release any more details.

Legislative Task Force on UW Restructuring talks tuition, campus advisory boards

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Daily Cardinal

Amid discussions of who should set tuition in Wisconsin and how the UW System should be structured, UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward told members of a state task force Wednesday there is no ?one size fits all? model for flexibilities needed across campuses system-wide. Ward said individual institutions would benefit from having ?university councils? to facilitate communication between the campus community, the Board of Regents and the state.

Campus Connection: Ward to address task force on UW restructuring

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Capital Times

UW-Madison interim Chancellor David Ward is scheduled to speak to the Wisconsin Special Task Force on UW Restructuring and Operational Flexibilities on Wednesday. The meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. in room 412 East of the Capitol, will allow the panel to learn more about the relationship between the UW System and its two doctoral campuses. UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Michael Lovell also is expected to appear.

On Campus: Ward leans toward giving Adidas notice that it is in breach of contract

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Wisconsin State Journal

Interim UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward said he is inclined to give notice to Adidas that it violated a labor code of conduct, which could lead to UW-Madison terminating its roughly $2.5 million annual contract with the company. But Ward wrote in a letter to UW-Madison?s Labor Licensing Policy Committee that he first wants to discuss the matter with the president of the UW Board of Regents, lawyers and other leaders in the university community. He promised to give the committee, made up of students, faculty and staff, an update next week.

Chancellor Ward says UW-Madison needs to be innovative and reallocate funding streams

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Daily Cardinal

UW-Madison needs to reallocate its resources in order to preserve the quality of the university, UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward said at a forum with members of the UW-Madison community Thursday. In the wake of over $300 million in proposed cuts to the UWSystem over two years, Ward said he does not foresee the state increasing funds to the system in the near future and UW-Madison should use “educational innovation” to better use its resources.

Adidas takes no responsibility for alleged labor violations

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Daily Cardinal

Adidas claimed innocence in a statement Thursday, as the university?s primary licensing partner responded to allegations of unfair labor practices that provoked demonstrations in November from a UW-Madison student organization that proposed the university to break ties with the company. SLAC members will protest outside Chancellor Ward’s office in Bascom Hall Friday at 10:40 a.m. before the Labor Licensing Policy Committee meets at 11 a.m. where Ward will respond to adidas’s statement.

Campus Connection: Adidas sticking to its guns in dispute with UW-Madison

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Capital Times

Adidas is forcing the hand of University of Wisconsin-Madison leadership. The apparel giant met the Thursday deadline set by UW-Madison interim Chancellor David Ward to respond to allegations of sweatshop abuses at a factory Adidas subcontracted with in Indonesia. But a statement released by the company Thursday evening makes clear that Adidas still isn?t willing to admit to any wrongdoing. If recent history is any indication, this stance will likely lead UW-Madison officials to start the process of ending its lucrative contract with Adidas.

Chadima incident reminds us that all of campus must combat sexual assault

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Daily Cardinal

By now, everyone has heard that Senior Associate Athletic Director John Chadima resigned after he allegedly sexually assaulted a student employee at a Rose Bowl party. Quickly forgetting the fact that senior athletic officials, including Athletic Director Barry Alvarez, knew of other parties, the athletic department and university handled the situation well. An investigation was completed and released in a timely fashion, and offices are considering multiple alcohol policy changes. These changes need to come from top officials.

Madison360: On UW-Madison’s future, David Ward is the smartest guy in the room

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Capital Times

David Ward first came to Madison from England as a graduate student in 1960, before John Kennedy was president and before freshman Paul Soglin showed up from Chicago to embark on his adult destiny as our intermittent mayor. Today, at 73, the self-effacing interim chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison laces his vision for UW with repeated references to his advanced age. But make no mistake: Ward?s 2012 ideas to remake UW are distinctly anti-nostalgic.

Interim UW Chancellor Ward defends silence in Chadima case

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Wisconsin State Journal

Interim UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward is defending the university?s silence about an investigation involving a former top athletic official accused of misconduct. In a statement Wednesday, Ward said he understands the public has questions about what led to the investigation of John Chadima, who resigned as senior associate athletic director Friday, but he asked for patience as an independent panel reviews the matter. But not disclosing the nature of the allegations against Chadima allows for speculation, observers said.

H. Edwin Young, Former Chancellor, Dies At 94

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Hugh Edwin Young, who served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the tumultuous Vietnam War era, died on Monday, Jan. 2 in Madison. He was 94.

“For over 40 years, Edwin Young brought shrewd and wise leadership to every position he held on campus, offering stability during some of the university?s most trying times,” said Interim Chancellor David Ward in a news release. “We send our thoughts and best wishes to his family.” Young?s folksy Maine accent and dry humor masked a canny political mind. With a background in labor relations and an intricate network of contacts, he surveyed each challenge carefully before deciding how to move.

Campus Connection: Former head of UW-Madison and UW System dies

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Capital Times

Edwin Young, the former head of both UW-Madison and the University of Wisconsin System, died Monday of natural causes at the age of 94. Young served as chancellor at UW-Madison from 1968 to 1977, which was one of the most turbulent eras on campus due to the anti-war demonstrations. He was heading the university on Aug. 24, 1970, when Madison was rocked by a bomb exploding outside Sterling Hall.

“His chief recognition, for better or worse, was that he kept the university open in 1970, ?71 and ?72 even during all the student disturbances,” says David Johnson, a UW-Madison emeritus professor of economics who first got to know Young during the 1950s. “There were calls by some to close it down, but he refused. He held the university together.”

Former UW-Madison chancellor Young dies at 94

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Madison.com

Former University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Hugh Edwin Young, who led the university during the tumultuous Vietnam War era, has died. He was 94.The university says Young died Monday in Madison. The Newfoundland native received his master’s degree and Ph.D. at UW-Madison and became an economics teacher there in 1947. He left in 1965 to become president of the University of Maine, but returned to UW-Madison and was named chancellor in 1968.

Campus Connection: UW-Madison’s 2011 year in review

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Capital Times

It was generally not a good year for public higher education in Wisconsin. In particular, 2011 was an especially frustrating period for many associated with UW-Madison. Wisconsin?s flagship institution of higher education lost its once-popular chancellor, Biddy Martin, to a highly regarded but small liberal arts college in Massachusetts following a political defeat at the state Capitol. The university, like all UW System institutions, is absorbing record-setting budget cuts as state leaders try to dig out of a budget hole without raising taxes. And UW-Madison?s highly regarded faculty and staff — again, like their counterparts across the state — not only learned they?d go another biennium without raises, but were forced to take a cut in take-home pay. Although few seem overly optimistic entering 2012, it can?t get any worse than this past year. Right?

This is what 2011 looks like: a year of politics, protests, sports triumphs and more

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Wisconsin State Journal

….At UW-Madison, it was bye, bye Biddy after Biddy Martin, the popular chancellor, abruptly announced in June she was bailing for the president?s job at Amherst College in Massachusetts. The move came after her push to split UW-Madison from the other 25 campuses in the system, rejected by lawmakers after an outcry from UW System leaders. For her temporary replacement, the university turned to David Ward, a familiar face on campus who previously served as UW-Madison chancellor from 1993 to 2000. Students showed they could still get their drunk on, gathering in April for the annual Mifflin Street block party and turning it into a crime scene: two stabbings, three sexual assaults, three substantial batteries, four strong-armed robberies and numerous reports of property damage, according to Madison police, who have joined Soglin in calls to end the annual event.

First semester without Biddy lackluster

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Badger Herald

The news of former Chancellor Biddy Martin?s departure from her post was a fitting and predictable ending to a tumultuous academic year in Madison. Upon announcing her decision, Martin insisted she was not leaving because of the political failure of the New Badger Partnership, but the deflated atmosphere that her resignation created proved the commitment of the Biddy faithful.

Campus Connection: UW could put top apparel provider Adidas on notice

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Capital Times

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has played a leading role in recent years when it comes to attempting to curb sweatshop abuses at companies that produce college-logoed apparel. But will Bucky still flex his muscle when the company coming under fire is Adidas — which supplies the university?s sports teams with everything from shoes and jerseys to athletic gear? “This time around, it?s a bit more complicated because of our involvement and close ties with Adidas,” says Vince Sweeney, UW-Madison?s vice chancellor for university relations. “We?re still in fact-finding mode.”

“I don’t believe money is going to ultimately drive this decision, and I hope I’m right,” says Lydia Zepeda, a UW-Madison professor of consumer science who chairs the university’s Labor Licensing Policy Committee (LLPC).

University officials consider future of ?Wisconsin Idea?

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Daily Cardinal

UW-Madison representatives met Friday to discuss the future of the “Wisconsin Idea” as well as the relationships between the university and state and local communities. According to the UW-Madison website, the Wisconsin Idea is “the principle that the university should improve people?s lives beyond the classroom.”

Campus Connection: UW-Madison unveils ?five opportunities for greater efficiency’

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Capital Times

UW-Madison interim Chancellor David Ward will host a campus forum Thursday to highlight five areas in which a consulting firm believes the university can run more effectively and efficiently. In March of this year, UW-Madison signed off on a deal which tasked the Huron Consulting Group with studying if there were opportunities for the campus to improve the efficiency of services of all kinds — from information technology and purchasing practices to research administration, space utilization, and more.

UW Chancellor: “Higher standards” drove rejection of double dip

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WKOW-TV 27

UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward told 27 News maintaining “higher standards” drove his decision to avoid so-called double dipping, and stop receiving retirement benefits when he returned to the campus? top job this summer and began receiving a salary. The practice of rehiring retired public employees and having them collect both pay and annuity has been scrutinized in recent weeks. Legislative proposals would toughen rules on the practice, as has happened in some other states.

Dan Sebald: UW would err in adopting merit pay, private-sector model

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Capital Times

Dear Editor: My hope is that interim chancellor David Ward is able to get the University of Wisconsin back to focusing on its core mission, that of education and research. However, Todd Finkelmeyer?s Oct. 12 article paints an unflattering picture of an institution on the verge of a tailspin. Efficiency consultants, merit pay ? it all sounds too familiar.

….The U.S., arguably, has the best higher education system in the world, but if we begin to run universities the way American business is currently conducted, that won?t be the case for much longer. Faculty will go from doing good research to nothing but chasing the gravy train. Departments will go from balanced knowledge bases to flash in the pan.

Ward to support merit-based faculty salaries

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Badger Herald

In a recent address to members of the faculty, University of Wisconsin Interim Chancellor David Ward expressed support for pursuing a more competitive, merit-based wage structure with the aims of ensuring quality of instruction and retention.

David Ward says UW ‘can’t be shy about competitive salaries’

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Capital Times

In his first State of the University address in more than a decade, David Ward sounded the alarm about the funding crisis in public higher education. It?s a safe bet no one in Bascom Hall listening to UW-Madison?s interim chancellor speak to the Faculty Senate on Oct. 3 was surprised to hear the university is facing some significant budgetary challenges. Most are keenly aware the university is being asked to absorb $94 million in state cuts over the next two years. What might have caught some off guard was Ward?s message that the university can no longer afford to simply hunker down and attempt to weather the economic storm until better days return.

With extra year as UW chancellor, David Ward is ready to take on big stuff

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Capital Times

….By adding a year, Ward appears to have morphed from a trusty caretaker into a fully empowered leader poised to initiate and guide major changes in UW-Madison?s finances and operations ? including its personnel system ? in one of the most challenging periods of its 163-year history. To Ward, Reilly and the many UW constituencies eager for Ward to stay longer, this change appears to be a big deal in the labyrinthine culture of campus politics and decision-making.

Q&A with David Ward: Interim chancellor sets agenda to reform UW finances

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Wisconsin State Journal

David Ward may only be an interim chancellor, but he doesn?t want the next two years to be wasted time for UW-Madison. He?s set out an ambitious agenda to implement newly gained authority from state government and reform the university?s finances. “It?s not a happy message,” Ward said in an interview in his Bascom Hall office Wednesday, the day after his interim term was extended a year through summer 2013.

Regents: Ward to stay 2 years at UW

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Badger Herald

The University of Wisconsin System announced Tuesday that David Ward?s term as interim chancellor will be extended an additional year, allowing his tenure to stretch until 2013.

Campus Connection: Ward’s term as UW-Madison interim chancellor extended

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Capital Times

University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly announced Tuesday he is extending the term of UW-Madison interim Chancellor David Ward. When Ward was named to the post back on June 29 it was a one-year appointment. But in mid-September, UW-Madison faculty, staff and students started asking UW System leadership if Ward?s stay could be extended, mainly because the university is in the midst of tackling several significant challenges while also implementing a range of institutional reforms.

Ward?s term at UW extended

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Wisconsin Radio Network

University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly is extending UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward?s interim appointment to two years. Ward agreed in June to a one year term as UW?s interim Chancellor following the departure of Chancellor Biddy Martin.

Editorial: Ward welcome for one more year

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Daily Cardinal

The question surrounding Interim Chancellor David Ward?s term length recently surfaced as UW-Madison?s University Committee requested he stay an additional year. While the interim position is only allotted a single-year term during a search and screen process, members of the UW faculty argue Ward?s background, collegiate experience and national insight put him in the best position to lead UW-Madison through Wisconsin?s rocky political climate.

Push to extend interim UW chancellor Ward?s term could delay search for new leader

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Wisconsin State Journal

A growing chorus of voices is calling for David Ward to remain as interim chancellor of UW-Madison for another year, a move that would delay the search for a permanent new chancellor until the 2012-13 academic year. After a committee of faculty leaders last week requested Ward?s one-year appointment be extended, governance groups for academic staff and students have also come out in favor of the extension. University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly said he is still listening to people?s opinions on the issue and needs to consult with UW Board of Regents leadership, but said he hopes to make a decision by the first week in October.

Staff call for extension of Ward?s term

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Badger Herald

The University of Wisconsin community is abuzz with rumors of a possible extension to Interim Chancellor David Ward?s one-year term after a letter was sent from the University Committee to System President Kevin Reilly late last week.

UW-Madison chancellor writes against fetal ban

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Madison.com

The interim chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has sent a letter to Wisconsin lawmakers urging them to oppose a bill that would ban the use of fetal tissue in research. Chancellor David Ward says in the letter sent to lawmakers Tuesday that the ban would affect both fetal tissue and cells derived from detail tissue, which would hamper research at the university.

A Faculty (Led) Search

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Inside Higher Education

Everyone wants a seat at the table when a campus picks a new leader, and it?s rare that groups say they have enough representation. With so many campus constituencies — including faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, and community members — finding enough seats is tough, and more often than not, faculty members say they?re not given their fair share.

Ted Voth Jr.: It?s unfortunate time to be looking for chancellor

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Capital Times

Dear Editor: ?Chancellor vacancies aplenty,? read the headline in the Wisconsin State Journal. This is a particularly unfortunate time for my alma mater, UW-Madison, to be looking for a chancellor. What academic of any integrity would want to come to the state of Wisconsin with its red-neck governor, know-nothing Legislature and rogue Supreme Court?

UW-Madison search: Chancellor vacancies aplenty at other schools

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison will face stiff competition for the best national candidates as it searches for a new chancellor, according to higher education experts. That?s because an ?extraordinary? number of similar universities also are looking for new leaders, said Jan Greenwood, a search consultant who specializes in university presidencies. Finding the right candidate is important because university presidents must be able to fill a range of roles: CEO and academic, politician and cheerleader, public speaker and master fundraiser.

On Campus: UW-Madison takes initial steps in chancellor search

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW System President Kevin Reilly has put out the call for nominees to help select a new UW-Madison chancellor. Reilly will appoint a 23-member search-and-screen committee consisting of 12 faculty members, two academic staff members, one classified staff member, two administrators (one from UW-Madison and one from UW System administration), two UW-Madison students and four community members. Nominations are due on Friday, Sept. 30, and Reilly is expected to appoint the committee some time in October, said UW System Spokesman David Giroux.

Campus Connection: UW-Madison’s Ward names Bugher special assistant

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Capital Times

Interim UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward named Mark Bugher, the director of University Research Park, as his special assistant, the university announced in a news release Monday. Bugher won?t be paid for assisting Ward and will continue to lead University Research Park, the university said.

Bugher is expected to advise the chancellor on everything from strategic priorities and political issues to the challenges of implementing newly awarded administrative flexibilities, which were granted to the university in the 2011-13 state budget.

Madison 360: Biddy Martin leaves Madison as an enigma

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Capital Times

Gauging by decibel level, the best moment in a 21-point Badger basketball victory last Dec. 8 was a free-throw contest between Biddy Martin and her fellow chancellor from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Badgers? foe that night. Madison?s chancellor hardly missed, drilling 12 free throws with a rapid-fire, line-drive delivery to win easily. As with most things during her three years in Madison, Martin came prepared. Just before the shootout, she had sneaked off to warm up on the Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion practice courts next to the Kohl Center.

When a UW official first shared that anecdote last winter, it fit my evolving impression of Martin as a person who left nothing to chance. That, plus being smart, broadly experienced and charismatic, won her the chancellor?s job. Yet she also seemed oddly cautious and sensitive to what others said about her.

Now she?s history. Her last day here was Friday, and the one-word summary that comes to mind is ?enigmatic.?

Chris Rickert: Did Biddy really deserve all those accolades?

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Wisconsin State Journal

It can?t just be my party-pooping perspective that caused my eyebrows to elevate at news of the farewell soiree for Biddy Martin on Bascom Hill Wednesday. Brats were served, the marching band played, and well-wishers signed a copy of “The University of Wisconsin: A Pictorial History” for the outgoing UW-Madison chancellor Now, I know Martin was well-liked among students; they gave her props for appearing in the “Teach Me How to Bucky” video and for calling a snow day in February, among other things. But I was struck by how disproportionate the outpouring of love seemed in light of Martin?s timing and relatively short tenure.