Chancellor Wiley holds first briefing

Chancellor John Wiley outlined university priorities, personnel changes, other developments and current challenges in a briefing for reporters Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 24.

Here’s an overview of his remarks and answers to questions from media:

Priorities
Wiley pledges to stay focused on long-term priorities outlined in “Targeting Tomorrow.” The chancellor has assembled a strategic vision task force to identify steps to keep the university moving forward.

Near-term priorities include the campus climate, including diversity and student issues; the state budget and the critical importance of securing support for continued funding of the Madison Initiative; and the need to continue to strengthen our relationships with students, faculty, staff, government, and business leaders around the state, across the nation.

Wiley says he has met with all legislative leaders and incoming Gov. Scott McCallum and remains confident that the second phase of the Madison Initiative remains a top priority in the budget process. Wiley also noted that the university is working hard to attract private and federal support.

Transitions
Wiley says he has been working with a transition team to make plans for his administration.

Charles Hoslet, a senior special assistant and director of state relations, will chair a campus university relations team, which assists the chancellor in working on broad campus initiatives.
Medical dean Phil Farrell will serve in Wiley’s administration as vice chancellor for medical affairs.
Hank Lufler, who served as Chancellor David Ward’s executive assistant, continues in his role as associate dean in the School of Education and will co-direct Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Post-secondary Education.
Casey Nagy will join the chancellor’s staff as the new executive assistant. Among his duties will be to serve as the administration’s liaison with the athletic department, “to strengthen our communications and working relationships,” says Wiley.
Athletic Director Pat Richter and deputy athletic director Vince Sweeney also will be more involved in university administration as members of various administrative working groups.
University Communications and University Publications will merge operations. Wiley says the marriage of the offices will increase efficiency and result in better coordination of campus print and Web communications. He says the merger is “the first of many things I’ll be putting together.”

Also, Wiley met Jan. 23 with the provost search and screen committee, which will review candidates for the No. 2 spot at the university. Gary Sandefur is serving as interim provost.

Current Challenges
“There is never any scarcity of challenges and hot issues on this campus,” Wiley says.

Immediate challenges include:

Completing an internal investigation and report to the NCAA on the situation in which athletes received discounts on footwear from a Black Earth retailer, the Shoebox. “We will take whatever corrective steps may be indicated in that report,” Wiley says.
Addressing the global issue of workers rights, and to focus on trying to find real solutions to this problem, through collective actions of such groups as the Worker Rights Consortium, the continued enforcement of the university’s own standards of conduct for licensees in the manufacturing of goods and apparel bearing the university name, and the sustained efforts of the shared governance committee on workers rights and the issue known as sweatshops. Wiley distributed a statement on the issue as well.
Strengthening relationships with other system campuses. Wiley says he is beginning this month a series of meetings with UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Nancy Zimpher to promote great collaboration between the two campuses.

“There are many ways we can capitalize on our shared academic strengths, in areas like health care, global studies, energy policy and urban public education,” Wiley says.