Statement from Provost Karl Scholz in response to Sept. 22 executive order

Provost Karl Scholz released the following statement in response to a Sept. 22 executive order

As an educational and research institution, UW–Madison has an important role to play in analyzing the causes of and solutions to pressing problems in our society. That’s what the Wisconsin Idea is all about. A wide variety of evidence points to the toll that racism, sexism and other forms of bias exact on individuals, families and the broader community. This includes within our own campus community. By engaging our students, faculty and staff about these issues and how to combat them, we bring our community closer together, and, more importantly, create an environment where all students, staff and faculty can reach their full potential.

The soonest the Sept. 22 Executive Order would have an impact on the university is Nov. 21. We are reviewing the order, in consultation with national partners such as the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), to better understand its content, potential effects and how we can better respond. The university is continuing with our fall semester instruction and activities related to diversity, equity and inclusion while we continue to review the order. As we learn of the potential implications for campus, we will update the community about this important issue.