Martin gives look at life as new chancellor

Editor’s note: The following column from Chancellor Carolyn “Biddy” Martin is the first in what will be a regular feature in Wisconsin Week.

Hello fellow Badgers!

I want to let you know how delighted I am to be back in Madison, and how welcoming you have been. I thank you for that. It has been wonderful to return to a place where I made lifelong friends while getting a great education.

This university is widely associated with some of the most important values in higher education: academic freedom, affordability, spirited intellectual exchange, the transfer to the public of great ideas, and commitment to public service. To be welcomed back and have the opportunity to work with all of you to protect and enhance this remarkable heritage is an indescribable pleasure.

My first month on the job has been quite a whirlwind. You have shown a generous interest in me and in my thoughts about the future. I am just as interested in knowing more about all of you, the people who make this community so vibrant.

Since Sept. 1, I have taken part in discussions with faculty, staff and students; participated in building dedications; attended football games; spoken at a variety of campus events; and interacted with local and state legislators.

Also, to get to know more of our constituents outside of Madison, I have set aside time on my calendar for trips to various parts of the state, which I will combine with alumni events and meetings with our major supporters over the next several months.

Here are some of the key themes I have been addressing and will continue to develop as we plan for the future.

First, academic values are a cornerstone of this university and include integrity in all things, the free pursuit and exchange of ideas, and the creation and transfer of new knowledge into teaching and public service. These values remain paramount.

Second, access and affordability for all families: We have to find ways over time to balance the cost of education with the widely disparate abilities of families to meet these expenses.

Third, recruitment and retention of faculty and staff: Without greatness in the people who live and work in this community, we cannot remain the world-class institution we are. We need to meet this challenge.

Fourth, we are a world university, and we need to confront even more aggressively the imperative of pursuing diversity in all its dimensions if our students, faculty and staff are going to be conversant with the global issues confronting all of us.

It has been a busy five weeks. I want to find ways to make this large decentralized community just a little smaller, so we can effectively build community and work in each other’s interests.

I am hoping that a regular column will help you learn more about my efforts, but I would also like to know more about yours. I will continue to seek substantive ways to interact with as many of you as possible, and would appreciate any ideas you might have about how I could learn more about your work and your ideas.

I apologize to those of you whose requests for my time I have not yet been able to accommodate. We will make opportunities available over time. In the meantime, I wish you a rewarding semester.

— Biddy