When David Ward first crossed the Atlantic to attend UW-Madison in 1960, he did not expect a 40-year career that would culminate in him being appointed chancellor of UW-Madison. This summer, Ward was taken by surprise again when the Board of Regents asked him to come out of retirement and serve as interim chancellor.
""It's a very emotional kind of thing,"" said Ward. ""To come back out of retirement to a place you love so much, even for a year, is a very moving experience.""
Born in Manchester, England, Ward first attended Madison on a Fulbright Scholarship, thinking he would be here only one year. But, eventually Ward became a U.S. citizen and began a 40-year career at UW. After studying at UW, he became a professor and then administrator, ultimately serving as UW-Madison chancellor from 1993 to 2000.
While Board President Kevin J. Reilly convenes a search committee to seek out the university's next full-time chancellor, Ward will retake the helm as interim chancellor for one year.
Ward assumes the position in the wake of Chancellor Biddy Martin. Martin chose to leave UW and accept a position as president at Amherst College in Massachusetts after the legislative demise of the New Badger Partnership.
The NBP would have increased UW-Madison's flexibility and would have granted the university public authority status, spinning the flagship campus off from the UW System.
Although the new interim chancellor calls the proposed public authority model a ""radical process,"" Ward avoids pointing fingers.
""Rather than asking whether there was blame to go around or whether [the NBP] was a good or a bad thing, I would really like to just look forward and figure out how to consolidate the flexibilities,"" Ward said. ""I think many people would like to see what we can do, what we can make with that.""
One year isn't much time, and Ward says his job is not to begin new programs, but to identify existing initiatives, like increased flexibility, and ensure they keep their momentum.
During his seven-year tenure as UW-Madison chancellor, Ward oversaw important projects of his own, including the development of private-public partnerships to construct campus buildings like Grainger Hall and the Kohl Center.
One of the best memories from his time as chancellor, says Ward, is of UW-Madison's three consecutive trips to the Rose Bowl.
But when asked if he'll consider continuing a more recent tradition—that of Chancellor Martin's annual snow days—Ward begged out, saying with a laugh, ""I don't think we'll have the problem. … I'm going to assume that it won't snow.""
Ward assumes his post as interim chancellor Monday, July 18.
