What would you do as Chancellor?

At Friday’s Board of Regents meeting, a very reasonable and thoughtful question was asked by Regent Walsh. He asked to United Council Government Relations Director Michael Moscicke and UW-Eau Claire student body president Dylan Jambrek if they were the chancellor of the entire UW System, how would they solve the revenue problem in face of the current climate. You can listen to the full exchange here starting at the 2:36:30 mark.

Michael did a fine job of reviewing the recent history and problems that system has faced in term of revenue and then somewhat got to an answer. He said:

If I were a chancellor, I don’t think there is any solution. I think right now we have a crisis in higher education, and I think we need to talk more about that. And I don’t think there is any one solution.

I have great respect for Michael, but when he says that there is a crisis going on and the only thing that we can do is talk about that crisis, that is wrong. Of a man of great knowledge, I would have hoped that a solution could have been presented. Maybe not the exact plan of how we get out of this situation, but at least a guide of how we could find our final path.

The New Badger Partnership is one such path of leading us out of this crisis. It actively works to solve the revenue problem that UW-Madison is facing and to help it retain the grand status that it holds. I have not seen one other proposal that is a realistic path to take.

So my question to all of you is, facing a $50 million cut from the state in support for UW-Madison, what would YOU do as chancellor of UW-Madison to make sure that  the quality of this great university does not deteriorate?

An Inexperienced Leader~Samuel Seering