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Q & A with Carolyn Martin
Bio: Martin, who received her doctorate in German literature at UW-Madison, has been on the faculty at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., since 1985. She became Cornell's provost, the university's chief academic and chief operating officer, in July 2000. Prior to that, she spent four years as senior associate dean in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences. A professor of German studies and women's studies, she served as the chair of the Department of German Studies from 1994 to 1997.
Cap Times: What would be the biggest challenge of going from an Ivy League school like Cornell to UW-Madison?
Martin: "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. Its size, Wisconsin is somewhat bigger than Cornell (about twice as big). But when you look at overall size, the breadth of discipline, the quality of the faculty and the students' interests, they are remarkably similar."
Cap Times: What excites you most about the opportunity to lead UW-Madison?
Martin: "It excites me to imagine having the opportunity to leave for what I think is one of the very few world-class universities. I was a Ph.D. student there, and I loved the university and also Madison, the place. I spent some of the happiest times of my life there. So what excites me is the quality of the institution, its mission, its commitment to the Wisconsin Idea, to the land grant mission and to its public purposes.
"And it excites me to come there at a time when I think changes in higher education are providing us with both challenges and opportunities. I think Wisconsin is positioned beautifully to be a leader in some of those conversations in the changing nature in higher ed. Changing financial models to support higher ed. Accountability. Research. You name it, and there are a great number of opportunities and challenges.
"I've been here for a very long time as a faculty member and administrator, and I'd say my experiences here and at Wisconsin as a student and someone who has taught both grads and undergrads for a long time makes me excited about an institution where all of those parts of the mission are so fine."
Cap Times: What are you strengths or selling points?
Martin: "Certainly my experience. Twenty-three years of doing everything that one does on the grounds as a faculty member. Understanding a large and complex institution both from the point of view as a faculty member and now as the chief academic officer and chief operation officer. I think my experience in this position, I've now been provost for eight years. At the end of this year I'll be Cornell's longest-serving provost. That extensive experience, I think, positions me well to be at a place of Wisconsin's quality and depth and breadth."
Carolyn Martin
