Chancellor’s Initiative to begin

Since the earliest days of the university’s existence, faculty members have worked with government officials to help solve the problems facing Wisconsin.

A new initiative about to begin will enhance that long-standing relationship.

The Chancellor’s Initiative includes an orientation seminar for new legislators, a speaker’s series, a staff luncheon series, faculty-legislative pairings and policy forums. The name for the initiative comes from Chancellor David Ward’s desire for the university to expand and redefine its service to the state, says Donald F. Kettl, director of the Robert M. La Follette Institute of Public Affairs. “We are working out of the tradition of the Wisconsin Idea and at the same time seeking to adapt to the new challenges facing government today,” says Kettl, a professor of political science. Kettl is coordinating the initiative with Charles Hoslet, special assistant to the chancellor for state relations.

The orientation for new state legislators is planned in January. Faculty will provide an overview of important issues, in conjunction with legislative leaders of both parties, and outline the resources available at the university.

The speaker’s series brings state and national experts to speak on topics of interest identified by faculty and legislative leaders. Two events are tentatively planned for late winter and early spring, Kettl says. Lawmakers and their staffs will be encouraged to attend.

The staff luncheon series will feature six events next spring for state and local government officials. The focus will be on ethics, Kettl says. Topics are prolonging life; cloning; animal research; government; the role of community and public affairs; and privacy and technology.

The faculty-legislative pairings will identify areas of interest among key legislators and link them with professors who are experts in those areas.

The policy forums, while still in the planning stages, will set up dinners between faculty and lawmakers with discussions on topics of mutual interest. Kettl says he anticipates holding four forums a year.

Kettl says Democratic and Republican lawmakers have reacted positively to the initiative.

“This is the kind of thing that people continue to tell us they need and expect and want the university to be doing,” Kettl says. “It demonstrates the university’s commitment not just to respond to issues but to define our responsibility to the state in exchange for the taxpayers’ generosity to us through the state budget.”