UW-Madison senior and member of the Student Labor Action Coalition John Bruning has gone to great lengths to convince Chancellor John Wiley to implement his group's demands.
During Bruning's four years as a member, he's seen the group organize petitions, stage protests and even deliver a giant paper mà ¢ché boot to the chancellor's office calling on Wiley to give the Adidas clothing company the boot from UW-Madison apparel contracts. So with Wiley's impending retirement at the end of the summer, it follows that Bruning would be among the students, faculty and others to debate which characteristics they want to see in the next chief of the university.
The Chancellor Search and Screen Committee currently seeks a candidate to take Wiley's place after he concludes seven years on the job. Although the official job description charges the chancellor with monitoring academics, overseeing staff and university affairs and allocating resources, opinions differ as to how the next chancellor of Wisconsin's largest university should execute these responsibilities.
Of the new chancellor, Bruning has only one demand: Be a lot more responsive to students. Without us, there isn't a university.""
In the wake of a record-breaking fundraising campaign that included trips around the world, many students say Wiley's priorities unduly focus away from the campus. But what Bruning calls ""schmoozing with donors,"" others see as one of the chancellor's fundamental responsibilities.
Kevin Reilly, UW System president and the next chancellor's future boss, calls fundraising ""an increasingly important part of the chancellor's job,"" arguing that private contributions are essential because of diminished funding by the state legislature. According to the UW Foundation, which manages donations, more than 18 percent of the university's total revenue during the 2006-'07 school year came from private donations.
To generate sufficient funds, Reilly says the next chancellor must also be capable of interacting favorably with lawmakers if he or she is to repeat last year's success, in which the Legislature approved a $158 million increase in funding for the UW System. He said he hopes the new chancellor will share Wiley's ability to organize a base of third parties, such as community representatives and business people, to lobby on the university's behalf.
Although some people have criticized Wiley for being too outspoken toward the Legislature during the fall 2007 state budget process, others say directness comes with the job.
""At times when he's been critical of the Legislature, he's in part reflecting his own thinking about things they should do, but he's also trying to be a spokesperson for the faculty, staff and students at the university,"" said College of Letters and Science Dean Gary Sandefur, who has worked with Wiley since serving as his Interim Provost in 2001.
Sandefur praised Wiley for his insight.
""He's not someone who's easily swayed by emotional appeals.""
Sandefur said the chancellor's only fault is occasionally standing too steadfast by his colleagues. ""You might say he's loyal and devoted to his friends to a fault, and that's got him in political problems at times.""
Of the many difficulties associated with the chancellor position, arguably the most debated is how the chancellor balances his or her time among different groups and causes.
""Everybody wants a piece of the chancellor and nobody feels like they get enough time,"" Reilly said.
As someone who has worked with Wiley for years, Sandefur said he can attest to the difficulty of achieving balanced time management. He said a chancellor must be talented at forming close private relationships, the kind in which ""people feel like they can speak frankly with one another and there's not the same kind of posturing that goes on.""
Bruning said he believes the next chancellor should budget more time for direct interaction with students, suggesting the adoption of chancellor office hours during which students can express their concerns.
""As students, we don't have a lot of power. Our power is more leverage and influence over other people who do have power,"" said Bruning, who believes directly lobbying the chancellor is sometimes the most effective method SLAC can use to achieve its goals.
Reilly agreed that interaction with students remains an integral part of the chancellor's duties. The most important characteristic of the next UW-Madison Chancellor is ""being willing to listen,"" he said. ""That doesn't mean you'll always agree. But being willing to listen and take what you hear seriously into the thought process you use to get to a decision.""
The Chancellor Search and Screen Committee accepted applications for the chancellor position through March and will narrow the applicants to a base of 10 to 12 in the coming month, hoping to choose a candidate by the end of June.
The committee expects the next chancellor to take over in September.
