UW-Madisonâ??s Faculty Senate almost unanimously approved a resolution Monday opposing any action to restructure the graduate school until a thorough, shared governance process is completed.
After voicing their opinions without restraint Monday, the Faculty Senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution to slow down implementation of Provost Paul DeLuca Jr.â??s proposal to restructure the University of Wisconsin graduate school.
Biddy Martin apologized to the University of Wisconsin-Madisonâ??s Faculty Senate Monday evening for the way in which her administration rolled out a proposed reorganization of the Graduate School.
The round of applause she received following this concession at Bascom Hall would seem to indicate many are ready to forgive Martin for her first significant public relations misstep as chancellor at UW-Madison.
Faculty, staff and students on campus were generally irked when Martin and Provost Paul DeLuca unveiled a plan to create a new office separate from the Graduate School that would manage UW-Madisonâ??s approximately $900 million in research projects.
After voicing their opinions without restraint Monday, the Faculty Senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution to slow down implementation of Provost Paul DeLuca Jr.â??s proposal to restructure the University of Wisconsin graduate school.
The Faculty Senate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison has voted overwhelmingly to urge the administration there to slow down a proposed reorganization of the institutionâ??s Graduate School that would change how the campus handles research.The proposed reorganization would establish a separate office, overseen by a new vice chancellor, to manage the research being performed by various graduate programs.
UW-Madisonâ??s Faculty Senate almost unanimously approved a resolution Monday opposing any action to restructure the graduate school until a thorough, shared governance process is completed.
University of Wisconsin officials recently unveiled a plan to restructure the graduate school after significant growth in the institutionâ??s research and graduate education programs.
In response to what University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin called the â??single greatest complaintâ? she has received thus far as chancellor, a proposal has been constructed that would significantly change the structure of the graduate school, including the addition of a separate vice chancellor for research.
Hundreds of University of Wisconsin community members convened Thursday at an all-day conference to evaluate campus diversity and strategize ways to position UW as the countryâ??s leader in campus diversity issues.
Last week the Student Labor Action Coalition marched into Chancellor Biddy Martinâ??s office, opposing the University of Wisconsinâ??s athletic apparel contracts with less-than-transparent multinational monoliths like adidas. And Biddy sat down and had what one SLAC member called â??a thoughtful and productive dialogue.â?
The Student Labor Action Coalition protested at Chancellor Biddy Martinâ??s office Wednesday to voice their concerns with UW-Madisonâ??s actions toward sweatshop conditions.
The Student Labor Action Coalition marched on Chancellor Biddy Martinâ??s office Wednesday in protest of the University of Wisconsinâ??s agreement with multinational corporations that manufacture UW apparel.
College students (and people in general) love to complain. Just ask Todd Jasperson. (Speaking of which, how about that weather the other day? I havenâ??t seen anyone make it rain like that since Pacman got suspended.) Whether itâ??s about politics, cops, reckless bicyclists or tuition, itâ??s easy for us to see the problem, but itâ??s not always easy to come up with a solution.
Chancellor Biddy Martin hosted a reception Monday to mark the expansion of domestic partner benefits for UW System employees.
The Faculty Senate and Academic Staff Assembly celebrated Monday Gov. Jim Doyleâ??s signing into law the state budget bill that authorized domestic partner health insurance with faculty, students and Madison residents Monday.
This past Friday, the Daily Cardinal Editorial Board had the opportunity to meet with Chancellor Carolyn â??Biddyâ? Martin to discuss some of the universityâ??s most pressing issues. With a year under her belt, Martin is due for some of the first appraisals of her job performance, most of which is tethered to the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Carolyn â??Biddyâ? Martin met with The Daily Cardinal editors Friday to discuss the Madison Initiative, diversity on campus and other topics of interest to students.
Itâ??s no secret farm groups in Wisconsin are in a froth over the UW-Madisonâ??s invite to Michael Pollan to visit campus.
The best-selling author of “The Omnivoreâ??s Dilemma,” Pollan has emerged as the leading critic of mainstream agriculture, factory farming and the meat-heavy diet of Americans. His call to “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” has enraged cattle, pork and dairy producers nationwide — not to mention its various front groups like the Center for Consumer Freedom.
Pollan will visit Madison on Sept. 24 for a lecture at the Kohl Center. He also will participate in a panel discussion on Sept. 25 as part of the UWâ??s “Go Big Read” campus-wide book reading program where his 2008 work “In Defense of Food” will be discussed.
Yet while farm groups have openly criticized UW chancellor Biddy Martin for approving the Pollan book for the “Go Big Read” effort, Martin is also taking some behind-the-scenes heat from left-wing foodies.
Chancellor Biddy Martin proclaimed the 2009-10 academic year the â??Year of the Humanities,â? bringing with it a series of lectures, performances and other events that will educate students, as well as the general public, on the impact of the humanities.
A new initiative at UW-Madison is designed to make a larger point about what it means to engage in a process of integrated, rigorous and unfettered thinking.
Vince Sweeney has played the role of pioneer numerous times during his long tenure as an administrator with the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department.
He initiated equipment and apparel deals â?? first with Reebok, then Adidas â?? when those were cutting edge developments for NCAA Division I schools.
He oversaw the creation of Badger Sports Properties, a coordinated approach to managing multi-media rights that was well ahead of the industry curve.
When you think of UW athletics, you don’t think of Vince Sweeney, but UW’s senior associate athletic director for external relations has played a vital role in the athletic department’s growth over the last 20 years.
In the early 1990s, he was the department’s first director of trademark licensing. He also directed the department’s marketing and promotions for three years before becoming the associate athletic director for external relations in 1994. He became a senior associate in 2002, overseeing the athletic communications department and sometimes serving as the voice of the department with the media.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced Tuesday that Chancellor Biddy Martin has selected Vince Sweeney to be the university’s first vice chancellor for university relations.
Martin cited Sweeney’s deep knowledge of the University of Wisconsin-Madison community, his effectiveness as an ambassador on behalf of the institution and his experience.
She said Sweeney’s wide range of experiences and his reputation for integrity will serve him and the institution well.
UW-Madisonâ??s No. 2 post will be filled by Paul M. DeLuca Jr., vice dean of the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, the university announced today.
Chancellor Biddy Martin chose DeLuca as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs after an internal search, citing the significant growth he has helped achieve in the School of Medicine and Public Health and his â??great sense of humor,â? according to a university news release.
With more than 100 research projects in limbo, dozens of labs behind on safety inspections, and the investigation into a â??Major Actionâ? violation unfinished, UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin has vowed to hire more safety officers to review campus research.
Martinâ??s response came after a campus committee sent her a letter last month stating that UW-Madison is not in compliance with National Institutes of Health guidelines because of â??gross and chronicâ? understaffing.
Implementing furloughs for all University of Wisconsin System employees will be difficult to track, hurt the competitiveness of researchers and raise legal concerns, system leaders said Thursday.
UW System President Kevin Reilly and chancellors at several campuses also acknowledged they were preparing for the possibility of employee layoffs. The comments came as the UW System Board of Regents was briefed on the two-year budget plan approved by the Legislature’s budget committee last week.
MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin System leaders are describing just how difficult it will be to furlough employees for up to eight days for each of the next two years.
UW System President Kevin Reilly said on Thursday that tracking employees’ furlough days will be a big challenge and the system’s aging human resources computer program might not be up to it. He said it’s one of the administrative issues that keeps him up at night.
Journalist Thomas Friedmanâ??s hefty speaking fee cost him a chance at being chosen for UW-Madisonâ??s common book read program, Go Big Read.
His book â??Hot, Flat and Crowded,â? was one of five finalists for the programâ??s first book, but his fee of $70,000 â?? which has been the subject of some controversy of late â?? was too pricy for UW-Madisonâ??s budget, said Sara Guyer, interim director of the UW-Madison Center for Humanities and a member of the book selection committee.
Instead, Michael Pollanâ??s book, â??In Defense of Food: An Eaterâ??s Manifesto,â? was chosen by Chancellor Biddy Martin. Pollan was already scheduled to visit to campus this fall at a rate of $15,000, sponsored by a number of sources including the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
Patrick Farrell, who served as provost at UW-Madison until December of 2008, was named the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.
In December, UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin removed Farrell from his post in an effort to put her own leadership team in place on campus.
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents on Friday approved a plan to raise tuition at the flagship campus at Madison by substantial amounts, but to designate those funds for spending — such as additional faculty slots — that directly improves undergraduate education.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin won approval Friday for the first big proposal of her tenure, the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, which means students will start paying higher tuition in the fall to fund increased financial aid and improved undergraduate education.
Tuition will rise sharply for the next four years for most University of Wisconsin-Madison students under a plan approved Friday to improve quality at the state’s flagship university.
The UW System Board of Regents approved Chancellor Biddy Martin’s plan to add a tuition surcharge of $250 next fall for in-state undergraduates and $750 for students from other states.
The University of Wisconsin System’s Board of Regents approved the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates on Friday.
The plan is the first major initiative by UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin, who replaced John Wiley as leader of the state’s flagship university on Sept. 1.
“I’m delighted and really happy,” Martin said after Friday’s Regents meeting at UW-Milwaukee’s student union. “I really do think it was critical for the quality of the institution — for the education we provide and for being able to start building up need-based financial aid that is so essential.”
Martin’s initiative features a supplemental tuition charge that grows by $250 in each of the next four years for in-state students and by $750 per year for those paying out-of-state tuition. The plan will start with the 2009-10 academic year.
Less than nine months after arriving from Cornell University, Biddy Martin is on the verge of pushing through her first major initiative as chancellor of UW-Madison.
On Thursday, the UW System Board of Regents’ Business, Finance and Budget Committee debated the merits of Martin’s Madison Initiative for Undergraduates before easily giving the plan the green light to move forward.
The proposal will likely be approved when the full board meets Friday at UW-Milwaukee.
Less than nine months after arriving on campus from Cornell University, Biddy Martin is on the verge of pushing through her first major initiative as chancellor of UW-Madison.
On Thursday, the UW System Board of Regents’ Business, Finance and Budget Committee debated the merits of Martin’s Madison Initiative for Undergraduates before easily giving the plan the green light to move forward.
This proposal will almost certainly be approved when the full board meets Friday at UW-Milwaukee.
A major tuition increase is one step closer to reality for University of Wisconsin-Madison students.
A Board of Regents committee on Thursday approved Chancellor Biddy Martin’s plan to increase tuition for in-state undergraduates by $250 per year for four years and $750 per year for students from other states.
A higher education researcher at UW-Madison is among a small group of voices urging the Board of Regents to delay approving the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, which is up for consideration Friday and has received widespread support.
The Regents are meeting Thursday and Friday at UW-Milwaukee.
Noel Radomski, director of the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education, argues the initiative has not been adequately vetted, and its possible unintended consequences not thoroughly considered.
The University of Wisconsinâ??s new Go Big Read common book program, which begins this fall, announced its first book selection Wednesday.
On a table in the office of University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin is a little white Badgers-themed piggybank. Interim Provost Julie Underwood gave Martin the piggy bank Wednesday morning as a way to help UW survive the stateâ??s budget troubles.
The decision to speak out against the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates has taken its toll on UW-Madison assistant professor Sara Goldrick-Rab.
Goldrick-Rab, an expert in educational policy studies, was a key part of my story which ran earlier this week headlined “UW-Madison chancellor’s proposed tuition hike elicits little push-back.”
In her blog on Monday, Goldrick-Rab wrote an entry titled “I (Finally) Figured Out Why I Want Tenure.” It’s a must-read.
On a table in the office of University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin is a little white Badgers-themed piggybank. Interim Provost Julie Underwood gave Martin the piggy bank Wednesday morning as a way to help UW survive the stateâ??s budget troubles.
Martin laughs after she says this, since she has a different thing in mind for raising money â?? a plan to increase tuition that will either succeed or die Thursday, when the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates is scheduled to go before the UW System Board of Regents.
Chancellor Biddy Martin will officially propose the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates to the UW System Board of Regents Thursday.
Martin will attend the meeting in Milwaukee and submit her proposal to the Business, Finance and Audit Committee, according to John Lucas, a spokesperson for UW-Madison.
â??The recent reports about the stateâ??s budget make the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates even more important,â? Martin said in an e-mail. â??We must begin immediately to increase need-based aid and build new partnerships between students and their families on the one hand and alumni and friends on the other.â?
State Rep. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) is pushing for the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents to delay approval of the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, a plan that would add a tuition surcharge for students at UW-Madison to increase financial aid and improve undergraduate education.
The initiative is up for approval this week at the Board of Regents meeting in Milwaukee.
UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin has spent more than a month talking about the plan on campus with students, faculty and staff and has gotten a largely positive reception for the initiative.
Copies of Michael Pollanâ??s book â??In Defense of Food: An Eaterâ??s Manifestoâ? will likely swarm the UW-Madison campus this fall.
The book was chosen for the universityâ??s first common reading program, Go Big Read. Chancellor Biddy Martin created the program to engage students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members in a shared reading experience.
A committee chose the book from nearly 400 nominated titles.
The UW-Madison Faculty Senate approved a motion to create an external review committee for the Athletic Board during its meeting Monday.
Faculty Senate members voted Monday to create an ad hoc external review committee of the Athletic Board to investigate allegations including harassment, mistreatment and intimidation of faculty members, as well as concerns of transparency and miscommunication.
I support UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin in her efforts to re-establish UW-Madison as an excellent school, which it isn’t now.
If 200 to 300 students are frozen out of courses they want and need, this doesn’t speak very highly for UW. I encourage the Regents to raise tuition.
The Chazen Museum of Art celebrated its groundbreaking ceremony Friday with Madison community members.
Over 100 students, faculty, and community members gathered at 750 University Avenue to witness the ceremony. When completed, the museum will offer twice the gallery space than that of the current museum, an outdoor plaza, study rooms and a glass-walled lobby that students will be able to peer into when passing by.
At first glance, a key premise of Chancellor Biddy Martin’s undergraduate initiative seems absurd. In an effort to make the University of Wisconsin-Madison “affordable to all,” she is proposing a tuition increase.
Yet Martin’s Madison Initiative for Undergraduates — the first major proposal of her eight-month-old tenure — has met with little organized resistance from students, who, in the past, have howled at any attempt to raise the cost of a college education.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s plan to increase tuition would allow the school to hire 235 faculty and staff.
UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin has proposed increasing in-state undergraduate tuition by $250 per year for the next four years, on top of hikes approved by the Board of Regents.
Undergrads from other states would see their tuition go up by $750 per year.
University of Wisconsin student leaders and campus administrators met informally Sunday night at Chancellor Biddy Martinâ??s house to reflect on the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates and to look forward to the vote on the proposal by the Board of Regents Thursday.
Martin said in the few days left before the initiative goes before the board, the university will be working on the most effective way to present the proposal. If the initiative is passed, work will begin immediately on implementing its different facets.
Here is some more news related to the swine flu — and this time there is a local hook. University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin sent an e-mail to members of the university community asking faculty, staff and students to “cancel all nonessential planned travel to Mexico until further notice.”
It’s never easy to justify a big jump in tuition.
But UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin has made a compelling case for a significant increase over the next four years to keep Wisconsin’s flagship university strong.
The UW Board of Regents should support Martin’s plan, which student leaders endorsed last week.
Gov. Jim Doyle’s state budget proposal assumes a tuition hike of about 5.5 percent over each of the next two years at UW System schools. Martin’s proposal will almost double that annual increase at UW-Madison to around 9.5 percent.
Immediately after University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin unveiled her Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, it was apparent the plan, though fundamentally sound, needed a bit of refining. There were many aspects of the proposal that needed to be clarified to students and many more that needed justification. After a month, though the initiative hasnâ??t been completely fleshed out, we believe the argument has been sufficiently well-made and that the initiative is a necessary step for UW to not only maintain but also to improve its standing in academia.
Although increasing tuition is always a touchy subject among students, Martin deserves credit for identifying the needs of the university and putting together a plan to address them. Even more so, she deserves credit for working to make this plan clear and acceptable to all parties involved. Although the list of administrators and alumni is impressive, Martinâ??s work to convince the general student body is what has been most important. After all, we are the ones who will foot the bill.
Chancellor Martinâ??s proposed Madison Initiative for Undergraduates will supposedly close the gap in funding created by the recession and will magically make college more affordable while increasing tuition. While this may seem like a reasonable solution to the universityâ??s money woes, it is merely a short-term patch for a problem that is continuously ignored.
The Associated Students of Madisonâ??s Student Council voted to endorse Chancellor Biddy Martinâ??s Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, which will raise student tuition and provide additional aid and services.
In a statement, Martin said she was deeply grateful for the councilâ??s endorsement.
â??As you know, I am deeply committed to ensuring the quality and affordability of a UW-Madison education and the long-term value of our degree,â? Martin said. â??To members of ASM, I thank you for the effort and commitment that you have demonstrated. I look forward to bringing this proposal to fruition.â?
The Associated Students of Madison voted to fully endorse the Wisconsin Initiative for Undergraduates Wednesday despite uncertainties about student support.
The initiative, drafted by Chancellor Biddy Martin, would raise tuition to increase financial aid and academic support. According to Martin, the initiative would help UW-Madison remain competitive with other Big Ten schools. It will go before the Board of Regents May 7-8.
â??I think weâ??re at a tipping point in terms of faculty hired and the quality of this institution relative to our peers,â? ASM representative Jeffrey Wright said. â??Something needs to be done and itâ??s certainly not going to happen, at least in short term, out of the Capitol.â?
The Wisconsin Alumni Association announced its endorsement of the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates Tuesday, adding one last vote of support before the finalized proposal goes before the Associated Students of Madison tonight.
â??We think itâ??s a very smart plan, an important investment in undergraduate education,â? WAA President and CEO Paula Bonner said. â??We just wanted to make sure, as an organization, the students and the regents knew the association supported it.â?
As a graduating senior, I have not paid as much attention to the Initiative for Undergraduates as I perhaps should have. However, Chancellor Martinâ??s last e-mail compelled me to look more closely at the plan that is being proposed, and I was somewhat surprised by the similarity to the Growth and Access Agenda proposed by UW-La Crosse in 2007.
Chancellor Martin, Iâ??ve read with great interest your Undergraduate Initiative. Enhanced student services are mentioned several times. I think that is code for better academic advising. As someone who spends a lot of time â?? and I mean a lot â?? talking to students, I am thrilled to hear that.
