In the face of low turnout at a forum Tuesday morning, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chancellor Search and Screen Committee heard its first taste of public opinion on the qualities the next leader of Wisconsin’s flagship university should have.
The committee aimed to solicit input from faculty, staff and the community at the 7 a.m. forum in the Health Sciences Learning Center. However, with only approximately 15 in attendance, turnout was lower than expected according to Jason Chiang, a student representative on the committee.
Though the CSS committee is diverse in experience, hearing UW-Madison community members’ insights and opinions gives the committee a better idea of what to look for in a prospective chancellor, Chiang said.
“Our view of the university is only a slice of the pie,” he said, emphasizing the importance of community participation in the process.
While 7 a.m. seems early for a forum, Chiang said for many attendees, such as medical professionals who start their workday early, Tuesday’s session was their only chance to contribute to the discussion.
He added the times of future forums are more accessible to students and community members, including a 2 p.m. session in Grainger Hall’s Plenary Room Wednesday and an 11 a.m. session Friday in Varsity Hall III at Union South.
Despite low turnout, the committee and attendees held a dialogue surrounding how the next chancellor should approach university funding sources, educational innovation and the importance of shared governance.
UW-Madison alum Jim Prudent, who is the president and CEO of a Madison area biotechnology business called Centrose, said although the university must remain competitive nationally and globally, he would like to see the next chancellor focus on the Wisconsin community.
“I would love to see more interaction between the university and its graduated students that are trying to create businesses around the state,” Prudent said.
The forum closed with a discussion of the culture of shared governance by faculty, staff and students, unique to Wisconsin universities since it is required by state statute.
CSS Committee member and professor of horticulture Irwin Goldman said a candidate should respect shared governance, which he called the “ultimate form of democracy,” but recognized it is a difficult quality to identify through interviews.
