UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley outlined challenges facing the university and the administration's goals for the coming year in his annual State of the University speech Monday at Bascom Hall.
In his address to the Faculty Senate, Wiley stressed the importance of prioritizing student co-curricular involvement, saying alumni often cite extracurricular activities as their most memorable UW-Madison experiences.
Wiley praised the university for its many student organizations and the fact that it has sent more graduates into the Peace Corps than any other university during the past 20 years. He said he will consider proposing university policy mandating students to participate in out-of-classroom activities.
In accordance with the UW System's resolution opposing the ban on gay marriage and civil unions, Wiley said he believes the absence of benefits for domestic partners is a turn-off for would-be faculty.
""I urge you to all vote ‘no' on that one,"" Wiley said.
""Private schools can offer benefits, but we can't, so it's a disadvantage,"" he said. ""It creates a climate of intolerance that is anesthetical to the university.""
Wiley continued to detail obstacles the university faces.
""Our biggest public relations challenges these days are not faculty felons, not Kevin Barrett or whether or not the band is on probation,"" Wiley said. ""It's, ‘Why didn't my kid get into Madison?' It's access.""
He stated the administration does not intend to increase the student body, but suggested the university increase the number of transfer student spaces. Wiley said transfer students would not contribute to the already-large number of students taking introductory-level courses and would not significantly affect smaller upper-level courses.
Wiley also called attention to budget issues, saying the state legislature believes the university takes ""more than its fair share"" of taxpayer dollars.
He addressed the claim, saying state dollars account for the smallest portion of university funding, behind federal funding, grants and program revenue such as athletic ticket sales and tuition. He said a recent fundraising campaign ending this December has already raised $1.8 billion, making it the most successful fundraiser in the university's history.
Wiley called attention to a national study of universities and colleges by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, saying that ""some of the findings are pretty shocking.""
Wiley called it ""scandalous"" that the average graduation rate is 50 percent nationwide. UW-Madison's graduation rate is 80 percent, though he said he hopes to improve that.
Those in attendance voiced opposition to a policy mandated by the UW System that would require background checks on UW-Madison faculty before hire. Faculty argued at length that the policy would discourage prospective employees and violate university due process.
