Research park association honors Wayne McGown

Wayne McGown has received a career achievement award from the Association of University Related Research Parks for “developing one of America’s most innovative research parks.”

McGown will be retiring in July after 16 years at the helm of the University Research Park, which began as just an idea and an open plot of west-side property in 1984. Today, the 251-acre park is home to 76 companies employing more than 2,200 people.

He received the award Friday, June 11, at the evening banquet of the AURRP’s annual meeting held at Madison’s Monona Terrace Convention Center. AURRP is the nation’s largest organization promoting the growth of university research parks and technology-based developments.

The award honored McGown’s UW–Madison career as well as his career with state government.

From 1959-1979, he served as state budget director under Democratic Gov. John Reynolds; secretary of administration under Republican Gov. Warren Knowles; and served administrative posts under Gov. Patrick Lucey and Martin Schreiber.

From 1979-1999, McGown was a special assistant to Chancellors Irving Shain, Bernard Cohen (interim), Donna Shalala and David Ward. He steered the research park through its entire existence.

His state government accomplishments include designing Wisconsin’s collective bargaining system for state employees; creating a management information system for the governor, which later became a national model; and developing a major reform program for the state’s transportation system.

At UW–Madison, he helped create the Wisconsin Initiative for State Technology and Applied Research (WISTAR), which helped the campus pay for updating research buildings. McGown also helped lead the complete restructuring of the UW Hospital and Clinics Authority.

In 1996, the research park won AURRP’s first “Research Park of the Year” award.