This morning, the Chancellor’s Search and Screen announced the 4 finalists.
These finalists are:
- Rebecca Blank- former Dean at the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan
- Timothy Mulcahy- Vice President of Research at University of Minnesota
- Biddy (Carolyn) Martin- former Provost at Cornell University
- Gary Sandefur- Dean of Letters and Sciences
Personally I am surprised that Provost Patrick Farrell did not make the list. I have been at Board of Regents meetings where they have bestowed very lofty compliments on him. The BOR thinks very highly of Farrell. Then again, it was not the BOR who selected these candidates.
It is not surprising that 3 of the 4 candidates have previous UW experience.
The UW loves their internal candidates. Chancellor Wiley, Lori Berquam and Kevin Helmkamp all came from within. During their hiring process there was talk that knowledge of the inner workings of the university is invaluable for running such a complex machine.
I also assume that there will be a strong emphasis on research. It is no secret that the UW is fighting to remain a top research school. With diminishing state funding, the UW is running the risk of becoming a second rate institution. UW System President Reilly and the Board of Regents take great pride in the UW being a premier research institution. They are going to do everything in their power to keep it that way.
My pick: Timothy Mulcahy
He has the internal credibility and a strong research background. The only question is whether he can bring in the dough.
[Edit]-
Make sure to check out the meet and greets. Also read up on all the candidates, here.
The Wisconsin Lounge 
May 7, 2008 at 10:59 pm |
actually, biddy is the current provost at cornell university.
May 7, 2008 at 11:16 pm |
If you are not Costello, don’t pretend like you are…
May 8, 2008 at 1:09 am |
Just because Biddy and Mulcahy received their Ph.D.s from Madison does mean they are “internal.” The only internal candidate is Sandefur. It should be noted, however, that Blank was a visiting prof at Wisconsin quite some time ago – so at some point during their careers, all candidates were associated with UW.
My pick is Biddy or Blank.
May 8, 2008 at 1:33 am |
Actually Mulcahy taught at the UW and even served as Vice Chancellor
http://www.research.umn.edu/communications/mulcahy.html
May 8, 2008 at 9:08 am |
Mulcahy is a former faculty member from UW.
“Before taking the Minnesota post, Mulcahy was associate vice chancellor for research policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for three years. From 1996 to 2002, he served as associate dean for the biological sciences at UW-Madison. He joined the faculty at UW-Madison in 1985.”
May 8, 2008 at 11:39 am |
The finalists for the position of chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be on campus next week, May 12-15. As part of their campus visits, each candidate will appear at a meet-and-greet reception for students. The format of the session will be similar to a reception line, with opportunities for attendees to interact and converse with the candidates.
Each forum will be from 4 to 5:30 pm in the On Wisconsin Room in the Red Gym (716 Langdon St). The schedule is as follows:
– Monday, May 12: Gary D. Sandefur
– Tuesday, May 13: Biddy (Carolyn A.) Martin
– Wednesday, May 14: R. Timothy Mulcahy
– Thursday, May 15: Rebecca M. Blank
Questions and comments or feedback from the forums may be submitted to chancellorsearch@bascom.wisc.edu.
Please visit the search website for more information on the finalists, including CVs: chancellorsearch.wisc.edu.
Contacts: Chair of the Search Committee Marsha Mailick Seltzer (mseltzer@waisman.wisc.edu), Secretary of the Faculty David Musolf (musolf@bascom.wisc.edu), undergraduate student committee member Suchita Shah (shah2@wisc.edu), graduate student committee member Erik Paulson (epaulson@wisc.edu).