Capital Times interviews with the 4 finalists for chancellor

There was one thing that stood out at me from reading them. It seems that each one has a different vision of where they want to take UW based upon their different strengths and in kind of a time of uncertainty of the direction UW will take in response to issues with finances and the state legislature, the choice of the next chancellor could very well determine the future of our university.

To the disappointment of Steve Nass, the first thing Rebecca Blank highlights is her experience working at research institutions, but also emphasizes her experiences in the world of outside of higher education in politics and public policy.

First, I have spent pretty much my entire life at first-rate research institutions teaching and doing research, so I have an understanding of both what faculty members’ life is like, what motivates them, what keeps them active in research, what keeps them doing good teaching. At the same time I’ve taught undergraduate students, I’ve taught Ph.D. students, I’ve taught professional students. I know this world. And it’s important to have a feeling for what faculty and staff and student life is like.

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Third issue, which I think makes me a little different from the average faculty member: I have spent quite a bit of time in the world of policy and politics. I spent two years in the Clinton administration as a member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors.

Biddy (Carolyn) Martin seems to be a candidate poised to help us turn to a more private model of funding. While she might not have this as a stated goal, the way she talks about her experience certainly makes it seems like she is arguing she is well qualified to do so.

What I would say is they’re remarkably similar. Cornell is an Ivy League school and it’s legally a private university. On the other hand it’s always been the land grant university for the state of New York. So we get our funding both through private endowment and tuition and also from the state. Mixed revenue sources. We are a hybrid of public and private and very, very proud of the long history of a strong commitment to a public mission while being a private institution.

Timothy Mulcahy spends most of the interview defending his decision to take the top administrative research position at Minnesota two years ago and therefore doesn’t really spend much time talking anything relevant. His experiences however set him up to be the choice for those big on research while his experiences both at the UW and at another school make him the compromise candidate for those on the opposite sides of the familiarity with UW good / outsider’s perspective key debate.

Gary Sandefur sets himself up as the anti-Obama candidate as he stresses the advantages of his 24 year tenure at Wisconsin and downplays the need for an outsider’s perspective.

Cap Times: Are there any negatives to having spent the past 24 years at UW-Madison?

Sandefur: “I don’t think so. I think what someone from the outside brings is a different perspective or point of view. But also an internal candidate like myself, I have visited other institutions, and I see other deans and administrators on a regular basis I read widely about higher education, so I know how other institutions do things as well.”