Madison Initiative hiring program moves ahead

University officials are seeking authorization to recruit up to 32 new faculty in clusters of emerging areas of knowledge.

The UW System Board of Regents’ Education Committee will consider the request at its meeting Thursday, Nov. 4.

Overall, UW–Madison is planning to hire more than 100 new faculty members over the next four years as part of the Madison Initiative, Chancellor David Ward’s plan to maintain and strengthen the university’s position as one of the nation’s and world’s leading institutions of higher education.

The first two years of the Madison Initiative will match $20 million in private support from the University of Wisconsin Foundation and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation with $29.2 million from state revenue and tuition.

The funds will be used to recruit and retain faculty and staff; provide students with improved educational and research opportunities; strengthen libraries, advising services and information technology; renovate and repair buildings; and increase financial aid.

The 32 new professors are projected to be hired in the following academic areas: African diaspora; cognitive science; communication and information policy; computational science; energy sources and policy; entrepreneurism; ethnic studies; global and international relations; land use; legal studies; political economy; science studies; and women’s health.

“The search will be very broad, inviting applications at the assistant, associate or full professor level,” says the request to the regents from Provost John Wiley.

In other business, the regents will:

• Discuss enrollment planning for the 21st century.
• Consider a $1.2 million remodeling plan for the McArdle Cancer Research Laboratory.