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.