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Category: Chancellor

Five big jobs need bold leaders

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Wisconsin State Journal

It?s quite a list. Madison is looking for a university chancellor, a school district superintendent, a chamber of commerce president, a regional economic booster and someone to lead its community foundation. Finding the right people ? leaders who are bold, aggressive, smart and willing to challenge all of us to move this city and region forward ? is crucial. So let?s get at it, being sure to search far and wide for top talent to fill these difficult jobs.

Madison 360: Just maybe, things are brightening a bit

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Capital Times

A Madison teacher and administrator for 29 years, Jane Belmore, will take a leave as education dean at Edgewood College. She strikes me as the Madison schools? version of David Ward, the deeply experienced and highly respected interim chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Speaking of UW, I think there is also good news in the absence of grousing by Republican legislators over UW-Madison?s plan to target pay raises to about one-third of faculty and academic staff in an aggressive effort to retain employees. When the plan was announced a month ago, one might have expected the usual GOP suspects to pounce. The GOP seldom misses an opportunity for a cheap, anti-intellectual stunt.

Chris Rickert: A touch of irony on UW?s road to China

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison is pressuring its athletic apparel contractor, Adidas, to contribute to the approximately $3.2 million in severance pay owed to 2,800 workers at a former Adidas subcontractor in Indonesia. Meanwhile, interim chancellor David Ward is leading a delegation of state officials in China, where the university will open its first foreign office ? the UW Shanghai Innovation Office ? and kick off an entrepreneurship and innovation conference. Anyone else see the irony here? Indications are that the university probably doesn?t.

Leland Pan: Why UW should put Adidas on notice now

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Capital Times

Over the past year, Wisconsinites have seen unprecedented attacks on workers? rights. But these attacks have not just been on public employees; since August, students at the University of Wisconsin have been pushing Interim Chancellor David Ward to hold Adidas, the primary producer of UW apparel, accountable for withholding $1.8 million in severance pay to 2,700 Indonesian garment workers. The company?s refusal to pay its workers is an explicit violation of Adidas? contract with the university, which states, ?Licensees shall provide legally mandated benefits.?

The struggles against sweatshops abroad and against corporate power in our own country may seem separate, but the rights of foreign workers are intimately connected to the conditions of workers in our own state. As corporations relocate to countries with weaker labor standards, workers in the U.S. endure major rollbacks to their own workplace standards.

Chancellor search for UW-Madison to start in fall

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A national search for the next chancellor at UW-Madison will begin in the fall, according to UW System President Kevin P. Reilly. A search and screen committee will be appointed by Reilly at that time to find a new chancellor to replace Interim Chancellor David Ward, who took over for former Chancellor Biddy Martin when she left in June 2011 for Amherst College.

On Campus: ‘Radioactive’ chosen for UW-Madison’s common reading program

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison students will be reading ?Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout? next fall as part of the university?s common reading program, Go Big Read, according to a UW-Madison news release Monday. The illustrated biography by Lauren Redniss, a National Book Award finalist, was chosen by interim UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward.

Campus Connection: Dane County Board supervisor calls on Barry Alvarez to apologize

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Capital Times

Dane County Board Supervisor Carousel Andrea Bayrd is asking Barry Alvarez to ?apologize for mocking and belittling an alleged sexual assault victim? following comments the UW athletic director reportedly made to the Wisconsin State Journal. Bayrd, herself the survivor of a date rape attempt as a high school student in Los Angeles two decades ago, mailed a letter Monday to Alvarez and UW-Madison interim Chancellor David Ward expressing disappointment with Alvarez?s comments about an alleged victim of John Chadima, the former UW senior associate athletic director who resigned early this year after being accused of sexual assault at a pre-Rose Bowl party in Los Angeles.

James H. Maynard: UW should manufacture own team apparel in U.S.

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Capital Times

Dear Editor: The student population at UW-Madison has a justifiable concern about sweatshops and feudal factories employed to make clothes and other gear for the UW. At the same time, taking Chancellor David Ward to task for these abuses, or violating the terms of a contract with Adidas, will not get compensation to those laid-off Indonesian workers, who deserve to be paid for their efforts. The real problem is that these practices cannot be adequately monitored by UW-Madison.

MCSC appeals to Ward

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Badger Herald

Voicing claims of an ?institutional racism? in student government, a student organization has officially requested funding eligibility for the 2012-13 fiscal year in addition to a two-hour meeting this week with Interim Chancellor David Ward.

Ward must act on LLPC request

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Badger Herald

Our university has a long history of successful shared governance ? something we hold in high regard as active members of the student community. Unfortunately, Interim Chancellor David Ward recently violated shared governance statutes in his failure to acknowledge students? voices regarding our contract with Adidas.

On Campus: Ward to Alvarez: Don’t interfere in Chadima investigation

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Wisconsin State Journal

About an hour after learning that a senior UW athletic official was accused of sexual assault, interim UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward called Athletic Director Barry Alvarez with a mandate. The athletics department should not interfere with an investigation into John Chadima, Ward told Alvarez, nor should Alvarez run a parallel investigation. That?s according to the investigation file from the first inquiry into Chadima, who resigned as senior associate athletic director on Jan. 6.

Campus Connection: Second report examining Chadima allegations is complete

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Capital Times

The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced Monday that interim Chancellor David Ward has received the second report into allegations of misconduct against former senior associate athletic director John Chadima. In a press release Monday, Ward states the ?university will publicly release the second report as soon as it?s legally permissible to do so. Because the allegations arise out of Mr. Chadima?s employment at the university, the university is legally obligated to provide a notification to him that the report will be publicly released.”

LLPC proposes adidas mediation deadline

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Daily Cardinal

UW-Madison?s primary licensing committee passed a resolution Friday to define a successful mediation period with adidas as occurring only if the company ensures all workers are paid severance by April 15. This deadline is 60 days after UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward initially announced plans to enter mediation with the company.

Campus Connection: Students from across nation converge on Bascom Hall

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Capital Times

For nearly two decades now, a small but vocal student group on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus has prided itself on making university administrators, classmates and other members of the public aware of labor rights abuses at factories in the United States and abroad. Friday afternoon on Bascom Hill, it was apparent members of UW-Madison?s Student Labor Action Coalition aren?t fighting this battle alone.

On Campus: Student group slams UW-Madison’s decision on Adidas

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Wisconsin State Journal

A student labor rights group slammed interim UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward?s decision to enter into a period of mediation with Adidas and promised to hold a protest Friday against the university?s “pro-sweatshop policies.” In a news release from the Student Labor Action Coalition Wednesday, one member called Ward?s action “insulting” and another said that it “warrants his immediate removal.”

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.