07 Dec Wiley to step down as chancellor of UW-Madison
Madison, Wis. – Chancellor John D. Wiley, who is credited with maintaining the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s status in the life sciences and technology transfer in an era of tight state budgets, has announced that he will step down in September 2008.
Wiley, who became UW-Madison’s chief executive in 2001, will pass the torch of leadership at a university with international status as a research institution.
“It has been both a challenge and a privilege to lead this university during an important time in its history,” Wiley said at a press conference. “The university has never been better poised to improve the lives of Wisconsin residents and take a leading role in reshaping the state’s economy.”
Wiley, 65, said he is stepping down now as chancellor because it will give his eventual successor time to prepare for the university’s reaccreditation and for the 2009-2011 state budget.
Much of what Wiley has accomplished has come during a period of tight state budgets and cuts in university funding. Wiley has promoted academics, research, and campus building, most notably the Institutes for Discovery and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.
Wiley gives much of the credit to a series of transitions that began with the hiring of Donna Shalala as chancellor in 1988. Shalala hired both David Ward, Wiley’s predecessor, as provost and Wiley as dean of the Graduate School. Wiley also credited the university’s deans for innovative approaches to its mission.
Since 2001, Wiley has led a record-setting period of fund-raising for UW-Madison. In that time, the university has raised nearly $2 billion from its donor base, more than was given in the history of the university leading up to 2001.
UW-Madison has risen to No. 2 nationally in terms of research conducted on an annual basis, with $900 million in research conducted annually, according to the National Science Foundation.
Related stories
• ConjuGon to receive $1.2 million in defense dollars
• UW-Madison steps up to No. 2 in research rankings
• Alumni give $80 million to name UW-Madison School of Business
• Wisconsin seeks to regain its place in classified research
• UW gets $5M to extend entrepreneurship