| | What kind of community are we? One of the changes of the last 40 or 50
years is that we have created highly specialized academic departments and support
units. While we may be collegial within discrete work units, we have lost our strong
sense of connection with those in other parts of the university. We have to
encourage a sense that belonging to UW-Madison involves membership in a
learning community that encourages people to collaborate and to deal with
challenges in the spaces between the units. The boundaries of our learning
community need to become somewhat more fluid, while maintaining the rigor of the
disciplines and the quality of our services.
I believe this type of double loyalty is essential to the welfare of our
institution: While you may devote loyalty and creativity to your profession, your
department, your unit or your service, you also must be loyal to the institution and
collaborate in moving toward an institutional mission.
We also need fluidity in the boundaries of the university itself, viewing all
education from elementary and secondary schools to post-graduate as a learning
continuum. We need to value the talents of the full and rich range of our own
society and, as a global institution, to extend and deepen our international
commitments. |
