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April 28, 2008

U. of Wisconsin at Madison Mistakenly Releases Name of Applicant for Chancellor Job

Whether to make public the list of applicants for the top job at a university can be a tricky proposition, as the University of Wisconsin at Madison has just been reminded.

The university said last week that 55 people had applied to be the next chancellor of the Madison campus. University officials also released the names of nine candidates who they said had not requested confidentiality. But, unfortunately, one of the now-public candidates had indeed asked that his name be kept private.

Jorge V. José, vice president for research at the State University of New York at Buffalo, told The Badger Herald, the Madison student newspaper, that he was “stunned” to hear that his name had been released. Both the university and Academic Search Inc., the firm that is handling the search, apologized for the mistake, according to the Associated Press. —Paul Fain

Comments

1. OOOOOOOOOOOPS, another “diversity” applicant is sabotaged (accidentally of course). I wonder which flunky bean counter in the Equity and Diversity Office or which esteemed principle of Academic Search will fall on her/his sword for this minor faux pas. Oh, that’s right, it was an accident. This is just laughable. I am sure UW-Madison legal counsel is already spinning their sticky webs in Bascom Hall to cover this up. Regrets to Mr. Jose and may he and his attorneys NOT underestimate the colossal duplicity and deceit of this bastion of “tolerance” and “access”. I am certain UW-Madison political insiders are chugging their beers tonight celebrating one less opponent of their crony apparent. I wish Mr. Jose well in his next job search. In the end, you would not have liked working there. I know far too many who ran from that campus after devoting years to this Titanic enterprise.

   — Merino    Apr 28, 08:42 PM    #

2. OOOPs, you sound soooo bitter. Why go for the silly conspiracy route (please, both in Madison and in the outside academic search firm?) rather than the far more likely fact this was simply a mistake? And just looking at Mr. Jose’s background—though he may have brought diversity—he simply doesn’t have the kind of high level background necessary to be a chancellor at a major institution.

   Sounds like you have an axe to grind. I am sure UW Madison will do fine without you and the next chancellor will be another in a distinguished line of academics following in the footsteps of Donna Shallala, David Ward and the current Chancellor, John Wiley.

   — fflambeau    Apr 29, 02:34 AM    #

3. This may indeed have been just an error, but I wonder if fflambeau realizes that she or he is helping prove Merino’s point? If someone were to have released the name deliberately to sabotage a candidacy, having people take exactly the sort of shots in public that fflambeau has is an excellent way to deep-six it. For all we know, Mr. Jose may have the sort of fresh ideas, not hide bound, that can indeed move UW forward into the 21st Century.

   — Bob M.    Apr 29, 07:01 AM    #

4. Let’s face it — these national search firms are designed to keep out diversity. The reality is that they keep recycling the same deadly dull fools from one institution to another. The key is once they land you a job — well they expect to “help” you when you do another high-level search.

   Anyone who’s had one of these firms “assist” in a search knows full well that they are shaping higher ed. These firms only push who’s drunk the kool-aid – hey you’ll never find a zero gravity thinker in any search pool much less a candidate who’s decent and actually cares about the students and faculty. When a search committee stumbles upon such a person and then begins to move their candidacy forward — the search firm’s MO is to scuttle that candidate. They won’t get any repeat business if they have not “shaped” the process.

   IMO these firms are responsible for the idiots that now “lead” higher education in the US. U Dub will end up with some lifeless ghost of a President….and all of the deadly dull fools associated with the process will shout hurrah! Back on the ranch, those who care will keep trying to staunch U Dub – fleeing faculty, etc. while the administration hires more administrators because they are so busy.

   — NY Pocho    Apr 29, 07:51 AM    #

5. Any person ashamed to be known to being considered by a particular university should be immediately removed from consideration by that university.

   — mike    Apr 29, 08:27 AM    #

6. As Judith Martin (Miss Manners) put it so well, although she was talking about unwelcome invitations to skinny dip, disrobe, fool around, etc. from a host who tries to coerce guests by asking them, “What are you ashamed of?” it is a mistake to confuse a sense of privacy with a sense of shame. I know exactly nothing about Jorge V. José except what I’ve read here, but he deserved the confidentiality he requested. Why he or anyone else would want to work at an institution with such a casual attitude toward one’s privacy that they would “accidentally” betray such a trust, I can’t imagine. Not to subscribe to paranoia, but this story tests the principle that there is far more stupidity in the world than there is evil. Of course, those aren’t mutually exclusive, are they?

   — Dan    Apr 29, 08:45 AM    #

7. mike (#5) – Perhaps Mr. José, uncertain as he must be about this position, decided he didn’t want to damage his working relationship with SUNY Buffalo?

   Our employment culture has become such that it is almost impossible to advance career-wise without changing employers (it happens, but not often). However, just because a person is contemplating an employment change doesn’t mean they are willing to put their current employment in jeopardy. Indeed, only a fool would do so.

   — a different Dan    Apr 29, 08:49 AM    #

8. From my experience, Academic Search Inc. is a firm of utmost integrity. There are other firms, some big ones, with which I won’t even consider engaging. Their reputations are so destroyed by the behavior of their consultants that the only candidates they get are those who have never engaged them.

   — Jason    Apr 29, 08:57 AM    #

9. Look on the bright side: At least this time Wisconsin actually HAD a minority; they didn’t just Photoshop him in.

   — GRF    Apr 29, 09:24 AM    #

10. My personal experience with search firms has been extremely disappointing. In two cases I was considered an internal candidate—or in the view of the search firm not a credible candidate because they couldn’t take credit for finding me and convincing me to apply. They would rather continue to circulate their regulars, regardless of whether they are the best candidates for the position.

    But beyond my personal questions about the value of a search firm, how is it in this era of diminishing budgets at colleges and universities there is still money to hire search firms? Does this mean that the personnel departments on those same campuses are being dismantled? Not likely.

    — Dakota    Apr 29, 09:25 AM    #

11. Madison is a city that actively, aggressively courts diversity in leadership. It has a lesbian, American Indian fire chief. Donna Shallala was chancellor. How many other candidates requesting confidentiality were also minorities? People with an axe to grind easily find opportunities. It’s easier to blame their own misfortunes on a vast conspiracy against their (fill in the blank – minority status, progressive ideas etc.) rather than take accountability. I agree with #6 – you would be right most often to blame stupidity rather than some evil conspiracy.

    — JohnS    Apr 29, 09:30 AM    #

12. “a different Dan” (#7) has made a sensible comment as one in academic world should do. I do think that the Academic Serach, Inc. carries a larger portion of the blame for this faux pas.
    —Sam

    — Sam    Apr 29, 09:33 AM    #

13. Like democracy, the manner in which we select university presidents is terrible, but better than any known alternative.

    One should not generalize about search firms. They vary greatly in competence, experience and willingness to look beyond the old boy network. They are often “used,” but not always paid attention to. They become window dressing and clerical support to a committee comprised of trustees who are looking for a business manager, and representatives of the various constituency, or veto, groups – each of which is looking for something different. No candidate can meet the requirements of all the disparate interests, but in my 40 years in higher education, on both sides of the table in many presidential searches, I have discerned one general truth: the best qualiied candidates usually survive t he first several cuts, but when it comes to selecting among the final three or four, the safest candidate still standing will be chosen. Those who aspire to presidencies, therefore, in their earlier administrative jobs are wise to avoid makiing hard decisions, creating waves, and attracting enemies. Consequently, seldom does a university in need of vigorous leadership get it.

    Someone once said that academics are the most liberal people in the world about everyone else’s business, and the most conservative about their own. The fact that a survivor will trump a risk taker almost every time in leadership searches is perhaps a reflection of that adage.

    — /case hardened    Apr 29, 12:51 PM    #

14. What seems to have escaped many of those who have commented on this event is that normally one only applies for positions that are considered a step up from the one currently held. Unfortunately, many of one’s supervisors in the current position don’t necessarily consider this the case and will treat it as an act of disloyalty, thus damaging one’s future in the current job.

    I once staffed Board of Regents presidential searches and time and again saw Regents who wanted to “shoot down” a particular applicant release his or her name to the student newspaper on the home campus. Now the people in state A may consider the president of an institution in state M or T would better himself by getting that job, but the people in states M and T don’t feel that way.

    Thus, when a candidate’s name is disclosed prematurely the standard protocol is to say something like, “Yes, I was asked to apply for that position, I took a look at it, and discovered how much more my present position has to offer, so I withdrew my name.”

    — sundevil    Apr 29, 01:13 PM    #

15. “a minor mistake? talk about a cavalier attitude lacking any sense of proportion regarding the damage that has been done to Mr. Jose. And maybe he just wanted to be afforded the confidentiality HE ASKED FOR in his letter. flambeau would do well to keep her/his cryptic and shallow understanding of her/his own remarks in the anonymity of her/his netherworld. This is a HUGE lack of professionalism and dare I say it…“commitment” to the fake “diversity” that schools like UW-Madison waste millions on…like someone said in another blog…it offers the best “diversity money can buy and technology can produce”. And the once great U. continues its slither into H/E mediocrity. My regrets to Mr. Jose.

    — grace    Apr 29, 01:55 PM    #

16. Merino, Do you know Mr. Jose personally? If you do not then how do you know he was a diversity applicant? Did you make your conclusion based solely upon his name? If so I would certainly find that to be problematic.

    Conspiracies happen. As others have pointed out so does stupidity. This seems to fall under the “stupidity” category.

    Having said that, this treatment of Mr. Jose is inexcusable, no matter what the cause.

    — HM    Apr 29, 02:09 PM    #

17. The University of Wisconsin is in a very sorry state. The posts here raise the issue of privacy and diversity. As to privacy, the mistake seems pretty clear. As to diversity, the lack of it, the way that the University pretends to appreciate it, and its general lack of grace and commitment to it—even in its African studies department, African American Studies Dept, and other ethnic departments demonstrates its indifference. It has a history of photo-shopping students of color into photographs, and it would be far better off with more conservatives than the lazy liberals that currently bask in the glory of being “good” to the helpless minorities. For them, the pleasure is being able to claim credit for anything constructive that people of color achieve at the University. Perhaps that’s why minority faculty that the UW snubbed are on the faculties at Yale, NYU, Columbia, and other more highly ranked schools?
    Worse, however, is the mismanagement of the university. The UW is losing faculty in droves. Its decanal leadership in quite a few departments is in need of serious overhaul. Gone are its glory days. It starves its faculty, and plays politics on race and gender issues. But, for what it’s worth—it probably will not change. It needs to lose members of the faculty that will not leave—and are no longer productive. The better faculty members are gone. Shalala was its last good Chancellor and she couldn’t wait to leave.

    — Anonymous    Apr 30, 11:37 AM    #

18. Anyone who does not understand the importance of anonymity has obviously never faced the situation of trying to keep a job while applying for a better one.
    On search firms: if they realize they have no arguable way of “getting credit” for bringing a candidate to the table, they ignore the candidate in question. I have seen this happen over and over, from all sides of the hiring process.

    — Anonymous    May 1, 11:54 AM    #

19. to anonymous Apr 30 @ 11:37AM…

    I could have written your post exactly but with even more gore and blood. My experience there was excruciatingly painful, but nothing compared to what I witnessed at the hands of fake upper-level diversity-mongers who spoke all the right words but NEVER took the right action. In my years there, I witnessed several highly qualified and competent administrators at all levels (some of whom were of “minority” status) run out of their jobs by racist, homophobic and just plain emotionally imbalanced administrators, who were then covered up by THEIR superiors. Many of these culprits are still there earning fat salaries and were never punished for their behaviors with anything other than very plush retirement package or “merit salary increases”. One particular person comes to mind who arrived with a long tenure in the Ivy League and a national reputation in student academic affairs, who almost immediately was sytematically attacked by incompetent superiors who couldn’t deal with a talented, principled and ethical professional who just by his very existence, threatened their very comfortable mediocrity. I personally witnessed several of these abused staff persons leave for more enlightened environments in the US and abroad. How sad the “progressive” UW-Madison couldn’t appreciate the talent and commitment of these individuals. Their positions were ultimately filled with candidates who presented a “better fit”, of course, including insider cronyism that runs rampant across that campus. No doubt an Ivy League professional repertoire was obviously out of place in that cauldron of mediocrity attended to by quivering bigots sporting “diversity” bumper stickers on their luxury SUVs.

    This most recent debacle re. Dr. Jose is not surprising. Incompetence and indifference abhor the light of notoriety and the unwanted scrutiny an attention it brings. And this “esteemed” search agency should take a bit more responsibility for how its candidates are treated on the individual campuses that they engage and not even attempt to defend the indefensible. For my money, they should take their shingle down immediately and stick to promoting their inflated egos.

    And for HM:
    Regarding Dr. Jose’s ethnic, racial and or cultural “minority/diversity” status and background, may I suggest a 60 second visit to HIS website at his current post for that piece of enlightenment. The facts are there at HIS own discretion for all to see. Maybe it is you who could relieve yourself of some “stupidity”.

    My very best wishes to the good Dr. UW-Madison does not deserve his talents. And HE certainly does not deserve this very damaging and public humiliation.

    And shame on those of you who treat this grave error in such a casual manner; just maybe UW-Madison has a job for you.

    And on “search” agencies in general, let’s not forget that they are rewarded VERY generously for their efforts NO MATTER which of their candidates gets the job. So they win, no matter who gets the job AND regardless of the “effects” on the lives of the candidates, which obviously is not a high priority concern for them. My own (and that or other colleagues) experience with them has been difficult at best. I found them to be more focused on their head-hunter fee and not so much with my professional or personal life afterwards.

    — Brendan    May 1, 01:21 PM    #

20. Search firms are like apples; some are great, some rotten. A search firm in a neighboring college required the local presidential search committee to refrain from independent investigation of the short list of candidates. Why? Because one of the firm’s candidates had been the recipient of two votes of no confidence at her previous college. This was hidden from the search committee until after the candidate got the job. She hung on for four painful years. The search firm laughed all the way to the proverbial bank.

    — observer    May 1, 04:53 PM    #

21. JohnS (#11) hits the nail on the head. UW Madison has had a female, of Lebanese descent (Donna Shalala) as recent Chancellor followed by a Brit. (David Ward) and now John Wiley. The current head of their largest College, Letters and Science, is of Native American descent; 6 of the 21 top administrators (mostly deans of colleges) are female. So the numbers in the case of this institution do not indicate a university that thumbs its nose at diversity. Poster #17 who chooses to be anonymous could not be farther from the truth. D. Shalala left to become a cabinet head (Sect. of HHS) but remains very close to Madison, and returns often. She has many close and affectionate ties to Madison. Moreover, the university is 2nd only to Johns Hopkins in federal funding and has for the past 3 years been among the top 10 or so universities nationally in increasing its endowment. In biotechnology, it is the world’s leader, so to say that it is “in a sorry state” is a slur on its past, very effective leadership and just demonstrates bias. With regard to Dr. Jose, he (and others) should be old and responsible enough to know that humans commit mistakes. To blow this up into a conspirary theory (when 54 other candidates of unknown ethnicity still remain) is ludicrous, and yes, paranoid.

    — fflambeau    May 2, 01:18 AM    #

22. Those misguided posters above who seem to think that this mistake is a result of a conspiracy to sabotage diversity should have a look at the composition of the Chancellor Search and Screen Committee at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Please go to www.chancellorsearch.wisc.edu/search-committee.html
    There you will find lots of distinguished academics of both sexes,and many different races and ethnic groups. The Chair and Co-chair are both women.

    — fflambeau    May 2, 01:48 AM    #

23. Dear Dr. Flambeau,

    First of all, #1, 3,4,7,9,12-20, have every right to express their views on the matter even though they may not have been congruent with your Bucky delusion.

    Having said that, fakely diverse search committees and repeated token racial or ethnic appointments of limp, ineffective administrators to any upper level administrative posts or deanships don’t say anything more about an institution other than that there is a pandemic politically-correct paranoia in place that is always on the alert for even the slightest hint of “racism” (imagined or real).

    And your lack of perspective on the matter is apparent in your failure to see the tongue-in-cheek humor of #1. Having worked there for a decade, I KNOW what I saw, experienced and the damage that was done to the resumes and vitaes of some very talented people who came to that institution from other distinguished, major research and Ivy League schools only to meet with the most horrendous provincialism wrapped in fake diversity, racism, homophobia and sexism. They did not imagine their experiences there, nor the damage that was done to them. And each one of these individuals went to top administration with their predicament only to encounter a wall of passive silence and indifference from Human Resources, Equity and Diversity and the highest of administration —- all to no avail. These peoples’ careers were irreversibly damaged AT UW-MADISON despite all the warm and fuzzy “diversity” stage sets propped up around campus. Pass that tray of “authentic” Taco Bell, please.

    And do I need to remind you of the digitally decapitated head of a BLACK man who had FLUNKED OUT of the U. that was then photo-shopped into a crowd of White faces. This was done (just as you feebly attempt to do) to promote the FAKE diversity that has NEVER existed on that campus. And act like this so devoid of integrity spoke (and still speaks) volumes of the institutioinalized hipocrisy and bigotry that is rampant on that campus. That act alone would have had heads rolling for such a tasteless and unprofessional act AND THAT DID NOT HAPPEN to any of the perpetrators. And let’s not forget the very apparent cronyism that occurs OVER and OVER again at the hands of good ol’ boys (and gals), when they are not drunk at Bucky tailgaters.

    And do I need to remind you of the HORRENDOUS experience of TWO very recent Deans of Students who ran from that campus after only 1 year on the job as a result of the NOT-SO warm and fuzzy “diversity” initiatives. These women came with SUPER distinguished careers from major research and Ivy schools only to be presented with an intolerable “warm and diversity” environment that forced them to run for their professional lives. And while you’re at it, check into the attic of Bascom Hall and see exactly who works there and the damage that some of these “administrators” did to the careers of others before they were exiled to that belfry with the rest of rabid bats. 6-figure salaries are hardly punishment for damaging the careers of others. Don’t you think?

    Now go to the bursar’s office in your papier mache Bucky Badger head and try not to spill your micro-brew and do remember to present your ID so you can collect your big fat Bucky Supporter (BS) check.

    Defending the indefensible doesn’t get anyone anwhere. And the legal counsel at the still continues on that comical windmill tilt.

    And while your at it, give Dr. Jose a call in New York to tell him how he shouldn’t be upset over a matter so insignificant as having his ENTIRE career become a laughable sidebar in the minds of such distinguished Badgers such as yourself. Seeing one’s career slide through a public shredder is a devastating experience.

    — oliver    May 3, 10:38 AM    #

24. Oh please, Madison is racist to the core. They will hire the next chancellor right out of madison. Wiley and Ward, former chancellors are from madison. The last two provosts were from madison. They got rid of Paul Barrows. If I were a minority I would stay away from Wisconsin. Over the past five years they have fired five minority administrators. So one thing we know for sure the next chancellor of Madision will be white.

    — macke    May 3, 11:34 AM    #

25. What ? No vegan, ex-Mormon, transgendered, atheist, Korean adoptee-raised by Jewish lesbians in the applicant pool? This is just digraceful. Call the University diversity lapdogs and immediately demand the hanging of all drunken alumni association Badgers tonight on Bascom Hill. Anyone bringing salt-free popcorn? I’ll bring the tofu shakes. What a laughable display of incompetence and the endless charades to cover up the dead elephant in front of Bascom Hall. A fellow I knew there who had come from the Ivy League went through the most incredible humiliation and harrassment at the hands of top administration that would make Bucky crap with embarrassment. We’re all so weary of endless Badger blunders. Get rid of all of these administrative fleas that haunt administratioin there and all their hangers-on. They have done enough damage covering up the horrors that others have had to endure. Just shameful.

    — Gary    May 3, 03:46 PM    #

26. Oliver,

    You’re getting a bit wild with your posts—even to the point of sending them twice. Does that make your weak arguments twice as effective in your mind?

    Let’s take a look at the State of Wisconsin since UW Madison is the flagship of that state. As a state, its population is 91.52% white with only 6.15% black, 1.3% native American, and 1.92% Asian. Those stats courtesy of Wikipedia.

    Given the composition of the state that its flagship university rests in, I think they have done a pretty good job of diversity in terms of both students, faculty and staff. Or is the state university supposed to mirror the statistical composition, in your mind, of the entire nation? world? universe?

    I think the university will be looking for a leader who not so much fits into a quota system as one who has the ability to creatively lead the university forward in troubled financial times. Those troubles, by the way, are not only found in Wisconsin but in almost every state of the nation under Bush-Cheney. Even a private school like U. of Chicago with its Rockefeller money has not been able to keep up with the real big boys in endowment (Harvard, Yale and Stanford). Finances for both privates and publics is troublesome now and probably always will be.

    — fflambeau    May 4, 06:12 AM    #

27. fflambeau, I would strongly suggest you re-think your position. I WORKED THERE ALSO and I know first-hand the horrible experiences of many members of the administrative community that is reflected in the comments that have posted here by several very articulate individuals. And I do remember the very unethical “floating Black head” incident and the 2 female (minority) Deans of Students who “ran for their professional lives”, who would certainly disagree with your bubbly badger banter. And I have known several other minority administrators who had horrific experiences at the hands of some pretty indefensible administrators. These posters that you have attacked, speak from their very real experience and you should try to re-think your blind badger perspective and see the administrative chaos on that campus today for what it is —- a reflection of corrupt cronyism, nepotism and old boy and old girl political shenanigans. Everyone of these “minority” administrators ran from that school and have gone on to do some incredible things with their lives and careers —- apparently a goal that the once-grand U, found it impossible to support, despite their endless and fraudulent claims of “supporting” a safe and “diverse” workplace. Having TWO women (one after the other!) with top notch credentials end their tenure within barely a year on the job speaks HORRENDOUSLY about an institution. And I would recommend you aim a bit higher than the “Wiki” for your not-so-scholarly quantitative arguments. It is exactly irreconcilable “supporters” like you who have dragged this school into the PR gutter it is in today. The sign of any great institution is apparent in the experience of ALL of its members and NOT in the digitally manipulated advertising cartoons that the U. has used to present a picture of itself, that is FAR from the truth. I personally and professionally knew several of the individuals who were grossly treated there and I can tell you that all your Wiki stats don’t change the harassment, humiliation and horror these people experienced there. And several of them came from Ivy schools with incredible resumes of accomplishment and were treated worse than you obviously know or care to acknowledge. So you see, this most recent example of callous, unprofessional and indefensible behavior of the whole Dr. Jose mess, while accident or not, speaks very poorly about an institution that keeps climbing that greased pole of “diversity” to shout empty platitudes about its commitment to “access”. In short, the REAL experience of REAL people with REAL credentials of distinction carries more weight with me than shallow endorsements of 4 legged red & white rodents doing back flips at a home game or chugging beer at a drunken tailgater with fat , alcoholic alumni association cheerleaders wearing their red & white beanies. Now go take that walk into the Equity and Diversity and Human Resources Offices and ask…

    “Can you give me the names of all the minority administrators who have accepted positions here and have left the campus within the last 10 years and provide also the reasons why they left and then an update on where they are today?”

    And try not to be too shocked when….
    (A) You don’t get a response EVER from the intuitional maggots that hide in these offices OR…
    (B) You find yourself with a very, very, very short list of “survivors”.

    A little “sifting and winnowing” goes a long way to find the truth, but first you have to pull your head out of the cigarette-butt encrusted mud outside of Bascom Hall. I hope I’ve helped you see the U. from the perspective of the MANY professional casualties that once arrived on that campus with eyes filled with optimism and promise and left broken, battered BUT NOT beaten. When you get that list (NOT likely), be prepared to make phone calls all over the country and the world to speak to these people who refused to allow Bucky and all his “diversity” allies to destroy their lives. Maybe then, you will finally get it. P.S. You might want to enlist the help of a few RICH trustees or fat cat alumni to walk in to those offices with you. Unless you are a Mr. Kohler (arena) or a Mr. Chazen (museum) you are definitely not going to be afforded the respect of a gnat in those offices, that focus more on covering up these horrors and you will be dismissed with as much grace as that gnat. And not that it matters to you, but Dr. Jose is reading these entries and is sickened with grief about his decision to have ever applied to such a place and over the never-to-be quantified damage done to his illustrious career —- not even a blip of concern for Bucky or his fervent supporters in Bascom Hall awaiting their golden parachutes of retirement. Just shameful.

    — Javier    May 4, 10:48 AM    #

28. I worked with a consulting firm like “Academic Search” (though there are increasingly more and more of them), last year and it was an incredibly frustrating experience. Waiting 4 days for an e-mail or phone call to be answered. Dealing with disinterested “principals” who have their own favorite horse in the same race and an attitude of superiority for us lowly job-seekers that I finally told them to remove my resume/vitae from their bank. More and more I see schools turning over their searches to these pay-for-people enterprises and as I learned a long time ago, when the dollar is invited to enter the front door, integrity and honesty jump out the back window. I hope whoever at UW-Madison turned this search over to an outside agency has leaerned a HUGE lesson here, but then again, this is not likely, given the obvious lack of dignity of their response to Dr. Jose, whose career has become a laughing stock across the nation. How easy do you think it will be for him to apply for another position and how awkward will his life be at his current home campus. These are not minor inconveniences to him or his family at all. What a freak show. So very sad.

    — grau    May 4, 08:17 PM    #

29. a couple of questions:
    who was responsible for the accidental release of the information? the school or the search firm?
    if the latter, are they still involved in the search? if theystill are, i guess much of the above criticism is certainly warranted. common sense and principles of integrity would dictate this search be started over again, in additon to a public apology to Dr. Jose. if this doesn’t happen, once again the actions speak louder than any PR campaign to the contrary.

    — neutral observer    May 5, 08:48 AM    #

30. The University of Wisconsin, Madison’s very diverse and balanced Chancellor Search Committee has just selected 4 finalists for the Madison Chancellor position. I believe these 4 selections completely disprove the “ax grinders” who have posted here.

    The 4 finalists (see www.wisc.edu) are:
    1) Rebecca Blank, Former Dean, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and Henry Carter Adams Prof. of Economics, U. of Michigan

    2) Biddy Martin, Provost, Cornell University

    3) R. Timothy Mulcahy, V.P. Research, U. of Minnesota

    4) Gary Sandefur, Dean, College of Letters and Sciences, U. Wisconsin, Madison

    Thus, 2 of the finalists are women (Blank and Martin) and Sandefur is a Native American and former head of the Native American Studies program at Madison.

    Interesting (and I think wise) that all 4 of the finalists have ties to Madison. Blank was a visiting Fellow at Madison’s Poverty Center; Martin received her Ph.D. in women’s studies and German from Madison; Mulcahy received his Ph.D. in Pathology and Radiology from Madison and also served in high admin positions before leaving for Minnesota; Sandefur has been in the sociology-American Indian Studies program and L& S for years in Madison. I think this is good because it brings some knowledge from all finalists about Madison’s challenges and yet most have valuable outside experience too. I think the Madison campus will be in good hands regardless of which finalist ends up with the job.

    — fflambeau    May 8, 12:14 AM    #

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