Update: State lawmakers look to new UW-Madison chancellor to help solve funding problems
Education committee leaders in both houses of the state Legislature said they hoped the choice of Carolyn Martin to lead UW-Madison would help solve funding problems for the university in tight financial times.
"I see a perfect match between her background and the challenges we're facing," said Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, chair of the Senate Agriculture and Higher Education Committee.
Vinehout said that Martin, in her position as provost at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., already has a track record of finding innovative ways to provide financial aid, bringing in outside funding sources and retaining quality faculty in difficult financial times, a major challenge for the UW.
Vinehout's counterpart in the Republican-controlled Assembly, Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, expressed hope that Martin would be able to find common ground with Assembly Republicans, many of whom have been frequent critics of UW-Madison and the UW System in recent years. The result has been a strained relationship between lawmakers and university officials.
"I certainly look forward to working with the new chancellor for the next few months," said Davis, chairman of the Assembly Education Committee. "I appreciate her comments about building a relationship with the Legislature and working together to harness the power of the university in Madison as it relates to our economy."
Asked what he thought about the chancellor search committee's choice, Davis said, "I'm sure they made the best decision for what they felt the vision was for the future of the UW-Madison."
UW System President Kevin Reilly announced Wednesday afternoon that Martin had been named UW Chancellor, pending Board of Regents approval.
Governor Jim Doyle said Martin would play a vital role in leading the country's largest public research institution.
"I am confident that she will use her expertise to carry UW-Madison, her alma mater, forward," Doyle said in a statement.
During last year's state budget negotiations, Assembly Republicans sought to impose major cuts to the UW System's budget. The proposed cuts were accompanied by harsh criticism of the UW by some Republicans.
Rep. Frank Lasee, R-Green Bay, proposed eliminating funding to the UW Law School by 2010 because he said there are already enough lawyers in Wisconsin.
And Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, a member of the Education Committee, fought UW executive pay hikes and proposed cutting funds to a UW-Extension program he said leaned "too far to the left."
Nass, in a statement, said he is, "cautiously optimistic that Dr. Martin, as an outside selection, will shake up the status quo and return UW-Madison's focus to a balance between undergraduate education and research."The people of Wisconsin want a public university that educates based on a model of sifting and winnowing to obtain fact. They don't want a university promoting the liberal indoctrination of young minds at the altar of political correctness."
Davis said one of the first orders of business with the new chancellor will be to rework the funding relationship between the UW System and the state.
"I think there are some improvements that can be made, and I know she has talked about some possible ideas," he said. But Davis said it was too early to discuss specifics.
He said that during the budget cycle that begins next year, legislative leaders have to "make sure that we're investing in the university system and coming up with the way we can hold the line on overall taxes in Wisconsin."
If Democrats take control of the Assembly this fall, they could change the tone of the relationship between the UW System and state Assembly. Democrts need three seats to take the majority.
But Vinehout said the issues will remain the same no matter who controls the Assembly.
"Both Republicans and Democrats need to address these problems," she said.
But Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts, D-Verona, the ranking Democrat on the Assembly Education Committee, said she expects relations between the Assembly and the UW to thaw -- not because of the arrival of Martin, but because she expects a change in Assembly leadership."I don't think it's the chancellor's problem," she said. "I think it's who was steering the ship" in the Assembly.
GOP Rep. Brett Davis sees some funding hurdles for UW chancellor pick Carolyn Martin.
