We Are Part of the Solution
A Message from Chancellor John D. Wiley
As I travel around the state and the country to meet with alumni, I often hear a particular anecdote that I believe offers a good measure of UW–Madison’s long-term progress. Graduates of a certain age frequently tell me that they recall sitting in their first large lecture classes and being told to look at the students to either side. Their professors then informed them that only one of the three students would graduate — a prediction that, sadly, all too often came true.
As recently as 1980, only six in ten freshmen at UW–Madison earned their degrees within six years of enrollment. In the twenty-five years since, we have significantly overhauled the undergraduate experience, improving advising, access to required courses and contact with faculty.
Today more than 80 percent of freshmen go on to graduate, and the average time from enrollment to degree is a record-low 4.17 years.
To me, stories such as these underscore the importance of maintaining a vision for UW–Madison and its evolution over the long term. Amid the daily activity of an institution as large and complex as this university, it can be easy to lose sight of such incremental change. But this kind of steady progress toward strategic goals lies at the heart of UW–Madison’s ability to remain in the top tier of universities worldwide, and it is why I feel confident that we are continuing on the right path.
During the past year, especially, we have been reminded that short-term issues can dominate the news of the day. While a handful of isolated personnel cases generated negative publicity for the university and drew criticism from some legislators, I believe that these are circumstances that we can and will put behind us. My optimism is fueled by the extraordinary talent and skill of the vast majority of UW–Madison faculty, staff and students, who by their achievements are allowing the university to reach new standards of excellence.
This progress is evident in every aspect of our mission:
- In our classrooms, innovative courses that involve experiential learning have become the norm rather than the exception. Nearly half of our 2004–05 graduates studied independently with faculty during their time on campus, and opportunities to conduct research, fieldwork and community service projects for academic credit continue to expand.
- As a research institution, UW–Madison has maintained its status as a world leader in the search for new knowledge in many disciplines. During the past two years, two of our faculty won the National Medal of Science, and, in recognition of its work translating faculty innovations into licensable technology, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation won the National Medal of Technology. We also have established the nation’s first stem cell bank, which will supply cells and training to scientists working in this tremendously promising area of biological research.
- UW–Madison continues to find new ways to advance the Wisconsin Idea, not only through the public service of its faculty, staff and students, but also through its ability to turn ideas into action. This past year, UW–Madison was recognized as the nation’s top research university in a ranking by Washington Monthly magazine, which analyzed factors such as a university’s contributions to public service, social mobility and economic growth.
Despite these positive outcomes, however, there is bad news: We continue to see a decline in state support for higher education, and this is no insignificant cloud on the horizon. While the university’s success in attracting grants and private donations remains robust, the erosion of our core funding threatens to injure our ability to hire and retain faculty. It also endangers our status as a good educational value. If we wish to build upon our progress, we must break this cycle.
Too often in recent years, for a variety of reasons, we have allowed legislators and some segments of the general public to place greater emphasis on the short-term costs of supporting an outstanding university system, rather than on its long-term benefits. Yet the long view tells us that UW–Madison is not part of Wisconsin’s budget problem. We are part of the solution.
We must demonstrate through our work and our dedication that an investment in this university is an investment in the future of Wisconsin.
John D. Wiley
Chancellor