John Wiley’s fundraising acumen is legendary.
During one seven-month stretch of 2004, the UW-Madison chancellor logged 20,000 miles to secure gifts from a range of alumni and other donors for student financial aid, campus buildings, new programs and faculty recruiting. By May 2005, the university had reached its goal of raising $1.5 billion in private donations — 18 months ahead of schedule.
Yet every year, Tandem Press can count on Wiley to step away from his post atop Bascom Hill to make metal wine racks for the press’s annual wine auction fundraiser.
“I think from the first time I encountered John, it was very apparent that he was a Renaissance man,” said Paula Panczenko, executive director of Tandem Press, a self-supporting printmaking studio affiliated with UW-Madison’s Department of Art. “He is an amazing supporter of the arts on campus.”