University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor candidate Michael Schill emphasized the quality, affordability and the unique characteristics of a Wisconsin education when he visited campus Thursday.
Schill, a Princeton University graduate, is currently the dean of the University of Chicago Law School and was previously dean of the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. He is one of four candidates UW System officials could select to replace Chancellor David Ward at the conclusion of the 2012-’13 academic year.
Schill, a first-generation college student, said he “tremendously values” how UW-Madison prioritizes accessible, affordable education, and cited his work under a similar mission statement at UCLA where he and other faculty “gave opportunity to students with a variety of backgrounds who went on to be leaders.”
“That would not have happened without an affordable education,” Schill said. “That’s something we need to promote, keep and cherish as we move forward and think about our public institutions.”
Schill also acknowledged the university’s current challenge in retaining its competitive edge amidst declining state contribution, and called UW-Madison professors’ “lagging” salaries a problem in the nation’s competitive market.
He proposed a series of strategies to tackle issues surrounding talent retention and competitiveness, such as forming strong relationships with legislators and more vigorously collecting alumni donations.
“It’s all about human capital, great people doing path-breaking research and teaching amazing students,” Schill said, emphasizing the importance of bringing together great researchers, students and teachers to attract faculty and student talent to UW-Madison.
Schill said he noticed UW-Madison students’ happiness with their education and experienced the university’s strong alumni base when he visited UW-Madison unannounced in recent weeks. He said Thursday that Wisconsin’s strong culture could create a “tremendous advantage” for the university’s private fundraising efforts.
“[Wisconsin] has a lot of people who love being here and love the institution,” Schill said. “When you start with that, when you have endowment of goodwill and happiness, the sky’s the limit.”
Student Labor Action Coalition leaders, among other student groups, took the opportunity to approach Schill at a Thursday reception to discuss their groups’ efforts and to address the topic of shared governance, which Schill said is “what makes this school such a remarkable place and such an unusual place.”
Schill said he plans to “embrace” shared governance because he “doesn’t always have all the answers” and “loves a good push back.” He reiterated these thoughts to SLAC member Alexandra Rezazadeh when she approached him about his stance on certain SLAC campaigns, and admitted he would have to understand the facts before telling her what he would do about the issue.
“As a chancellor candidate you want to please everyone, it is very easy to say what people want to hear, Rezazadeh said. “But his approach was honest, and I think honesty is a very refreshing thing to hear.”
