Ward to step down as chancellor

Chancellor David Ward announced today, March 17, that he will step down as the institution’s chief executive Jan. 1, 2001.

Ward will take a sabbatical during 2001 and then return to the Andrew Hill Clark Professorship of Geography. He also will begin in a newly funded faculty chair that will make it possible for him to be affiliated with a proposed center for the study of higher education.

Chancellor David Ward announced at a press conference this afternoon, March 17, his intentions to step down as the university’s chief executive Jan. 1, 2001. After taking a sabbatical in 2001, Ward will return to the Andrew Hill Clark Professorship of Geography. Photo by Aaron Peterson.

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He has served as chancellor since June 1993, a term of service that is three years longer than the average length for university chancellors.

“I can in good conscience step aside, knowing the university is positioned for greatness in the new century. We have many things going for us,” says Ward, who will be the Big 10’s longest-serving chancellor by year’s end. “UW-Madison has tremendous momentum, and this momentum is carrying the university into the future, where it will continue to grow and change, and where it will maintain its position at the head of the list of great places of learning.”

Ward said he has been considering his decision since last summer. The chancellor said he announced his decision now so that UW System President Katharine Lyall and the UW Board of Regents can begin the search process for his replacement.

Lyall praised Ward for his excellent leadership of one of the world’s top public research universities — and the flagship institution of the UW System: “David Ward has been a very successful chancellor for UW–Madison. In terms of academic achievement, cutting-edge research, private fundraising and intercollegiate athletics, the university has been a national leader during his tenure. The Regents and I are grateful for all he has done since 1993. His nearly 40 years of service to UW–Madison reflects his strong personal devotion to this institution and everything it stands for.”

Regent President San W. Orr said Ward is a skilled administrator, fundraiser and ambassador for the university, the UW System and the State of Wisconsin. During Ward’s tenure as chancellor, the university raised $739 million in private funds, Orr noted, which places UW–Madison No. 1 in private support among public universities, according to the most recent figures.

“My colleagues and I on the Board of Regents are grateful to David for enhancing UW–Madison’s position as one of the nation’s greatest universities. He has maintained the university as an economic engine for the state, and has worked hard to bring federal research dollars and private gifts to the campus. He has been a steady hand at the helm of the UW System’s flagship institution.”

Under Ward’s leadership, the university has substantially improved undergraduate education, through improved advising, stronger core curriculum and expanded research opportunities for students. As provost, he initiated the Hilldale awards to support undergraduate research, and he expanded the range of rewards and recognition for excellence in teaching of undergraduates.

Ward also created and implemented the university’s innovative interdisciplinary teaching and research initiative, known as the cluster hiring program. To date, UW–Madison has hired 34 new faculty members in emerging areas of knowledge, such as genomics, international public affairs and religious studies. Overall, the university plans to hire up to 150 new professors over the next four years through cluster hiring.

The chancellor is recognized for spearheading the successful public-private partnerships between the State of Wisconsin and the university’s alumni and donors for the campus’s capital and operating budgets.

Those partnerships have resulted in the construction of numerous new buildings on campus for research and instruction, including the Kohl Center, and the Biotechnology, Pharmacy and Chemistry buildings.

Most recently, Ward created the Madison Initiative, a four-year investment plan to enable UW–Madison to continue to provide students an outstanding education and help Wisconsin maintain its competitiveness in the global economy.

The overall plan calls for $57 million in new funds from the state and students, to be matched with $40 million in private support through the University of Wisconsin Foundation and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, for an overall investment of $97 million.

The Wisconsin Legislature approved the first $29.2 million for the Madison Initiative in the 1999-2001 state budget, and the university will seek the remaining $28 million in public funding in the 2001-03 state budget.

Ward praised Gov. Tommy Thompson, state legislators, students, alumni and Wisconsin citizens for their support of the Madison Initiative.

“I have high hopes for the Legislature’s approval for the second phase of the Madison Initiative, which is the basis for maintaining our margin of excellence among our peers,” he said.

Looking to the future, Ward said the university must continue to strengthen its local presence and global outreach, with support from the public and private sectors of the state. In addition, instructional technology will constantly redefine teaching and communication, while research will continue to apply knowledge and solve problems, he said.

“This is not only one of the world’s great universities, it is an emerging model of what I believe will be required of great universities in the 21st Century,” Ward said. “It is one of the truly priceless assets of Wisconsin and all of its citizens.”

Ward succeeded Donna E. Shalala as chancellor after serving as interim chancellor from January to June 1993. Ward served as provost, chief deputy to the chancellor, from 1991 to 1993, and was vice chancellor for academic affairs from 1989 to 1991. He also served as associate dean of the Graduate School from 1980 to 1987 and chair of the geography department from 1974 to 1977.

Ward earned his doctorate in geography in 1963 from UW–Madison. He was hired as an assistant professor of geography in 1966 and granted tenure in 1967. He became a full professor in 1971.