UW-Madison chancellor search committee named

University of Wisconsin System President Kevin P. Reilly today appointed a 23-member search committee to help identify a new chancellor for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Chancellor John D. Wiley announced that he will step down in September 2008 after leading the institution since 2001.

UW-Madison, the oldest and largest campus in the UW System, enrolls more than 40,000 students in 136 majors of study and conducts more than $900 million worth of research annually.

"To enhance UW–Madison’s positive impact on the entire state and advance the university’s stellar academic reputation, we need to attract strong leadership in the chancellor’s office," said Reilly. "This is the beginning of an exhaustive process to recruit and hire someone who can leverage this university’s incredible potential, building upon John Wiley’s record of success."

Reilly invited nominations from a diverse array of campus constituencies, and used that broad input to appoint a committee comprised of 12 faculty members, two academic staff members, one classified staff member, and one campus dean. They will be joined by four community representatives and one UW System Administration staff member.

Two UW–Madison students will be named to the search committee later this month.  At the request of student government leaders, nominations for student representation on the search committee were delayed until after the winter break. Student members will be named in time for the search committee’s first meeting.

Marsha Mailick Seltzer, Vaughan Bascom Professor of Social Work and Pediatrics at UW–Madison, will chair the search committee. Seltzer, a faculty member for 19 years, earned her undergraduate degree at UW–Madison, before going on to earn her Ph.D. at Brandeis University. She also serves as director of the Waisman Center and interim director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.

Members of the UW–Madison Chancellor Search and Screen Committee are as follows:

Faculty

• Paul J. Bertics — Kellett Professor of Biomolecular Chemistry
• Mary "Molly" Carnes — Molly Carnes, Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry and Industrial and Systems Engineering; Director, UW Center for Women’s Health Research 
• William Cronon — Frederick Jackson Turner and Vilas Research Professor of History, Geography and Environmental Studies
• Mary Louise Gomez — Professor of Literacy Studies and Teacher Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Robert D. Mathieu — Professor of Astronomy; Director of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning; Chair of the University Committee
• Anne S. Miner — Distinguished Professor of Management and Human Resources
• Regina Murphy — Harvey D. Spangler Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
• Dan Schaefer — Professor and Chair, Department of Animal Sciences
• Marsha Mailick Seltzer (chair) — Vaughan Bascom Professor of Social Work and Pediatrics
• Aliko Songolo — Professor and Chair of French and Italian; Professor of African Languages and Literature
• Sean Teuton — Assistant Professor of English and American Indian Studies
• Amy Wendt — Co-chair and Professor of Electric and Computer Engineering

Academic Staff

• Carla Love — Distinguished Lecturer, German Department
• Tori C. A. Richardson — Assistant Dean, Student Academic Affairs, College of Letters and Science

Classified Staff

• Gary Mitchell — University Services Associate, UW School of Medicine and Public Health

Administrators

• Debbie A. Durcan — Vice President of Finance, University of Wisconsin System
• Bob Golden — Dean, UW School of Medicine and Public Health; Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs; Professor of Psychiatry

Community

• Paula Bonner — President and CEO of the Wisconsin Alumni Association
• John Morgridge — Chairman Emeritus of Cisco Systems Inc.; Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Board of Trustees; former member of the UW Foundation Board of Directors
• Winslow Sargeant — Managing Director of Venture Investors, LLC; Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Board of Trustees; Waisman Center Board of Visitors
• Jay Smith — President of Teel Plastics; former President of the UW System Board of Regents

Students

• Suchita Shah, a senior from Holmen, Wis. majoring in biology with the neurobiology option.
• Erik Paulson, a third year Ph.D student in computer science from Chippewa Falls, Wis. Paulson also earned an undergraduate bachelor of science in computer sciences, also from UW–Madison.

Following a national search and intensive screening process, the committee is expected to recommend at least five candidates as finalists to Reilly and a special Board of Regents committee chaired by Regent David G. Walsh of Madison. Other Regents on the committee include Regent President Mark J. Bradley, Regent Vice President Chuck Pruitt, Tom Loftus, and Colleene P. Thomas.  

Thomas, a UW–Madison student, will be the first student regent to serve on a special Board of Regents chancellor selection committee.

The campus search committee will convene for the first time on Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. in Bascom Hall, room 260 on the UW–Madison campus. At that meeting, Walsh and Reilly will officially charge the committee with its mission and roles, review procedures and launch the search process.