Pitt Provost Ann Cudd told members of the University of Wisconsin–Madison community last week that shared governance is essential to the functioning of a university that is led by students and staff, according to the Badger Herald, an independent student newspaper on the campus.
Cudd is one of five finalists for the Wisconsin chancellor’s position. She and each of the other finalists spoke during separate public forums at the school.
In her remarks on May 4, Cudd also said it is not always possible to satisfy the requests of every group on campus.
“In the end, sometimes decisions have to be made that … take in consultation from other groups, (but) not everyone’s perspective will be equally well served in those decisions,” Cudd said. “But at least they will be heard.”
She said that diversity of thought, rising tuition costs and competition for research funds are among the most pressing concerns for UW. She noted that recent legislation that restricts what can be taught — including the critical race theory ban passed in the Wisconsin legislature — limits research and discussion based on political ideology, Cudd said.
“This is antithetical to the mission of the university, which is to increase inquiry,” Cudd said.
Read more about Cudd’s comments in the Badger Herald.
Rebecca Blank, the second-longest serving chancellor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, announced in October 2021 that she would step down this month to become the first female president of Northwestern University in Illinois. She has been at the school since 2013.
The Wisconsin website says a search committee was named in December and the search officially closed on March 11. An announcement of a chancellor-designate is expected later this month with that person starting this summer or fall.
The other finalists for the Wisconsin job include the current UW-Madison Provost John Karl Scholz; former Notre Dame Provost Marie Lynn Miranda; dean of the UCLA law school, Jennifer Mnookin; and former provost of the University of Utah, Daniel Reed.