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University of Wisconsin's Governance Must be Questioned by the Higher Learning Commission of North Central Association!

In the May/June of “Today's Campus” educational consultants Dennis Cariello and David Lewis outlined current changes in university accreditation expectations by regional accrediting agencies in order to assure quality outcomes. They point out that institutional governance has taken center stage in several recent accreditation decisions. Their examples include a recent action by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) that placed the University of Virginia on warning because of the aborted attempt to fire the president. More importantly, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, (who accredit the University of Wisconsin) has these following criteria for continued accreditation:

2.C. The governing board of the institution is sufficiently autonomous to make decisions in the best interest of the institution and to assure its integrity.  

  1. The governing board’s deliberations reflect priorities to preserve and enhance the institution.

  2. The governing board reviews and considers the reasonable and relevant interests of the institution’s internal and external constituencies during its decision-making deliberations.

  3. The governing board preserves its independence from undue influence on the part of donors, elected officials, ownership interests, or other external parties when such influence would not be in the best interest of the institution.

  4. The governing board delegates day-to-day management of the institution to the administration and expects the faculty to oversee academic matters.

It is clear that Scott Walker violated section 2.C.3 when he refused to appoint Joshua Inglett,who he had previously nominated to the Board of Regents.  Walker refused Josua's nomination because Joshua was one of nearly one million citizens who signed theWalker recall petition. Johua was one of two student appointees to the Board of Regents. His responsibility was to represent the opinions and needs of the students, not to be a partisan Regent. Scott Walker, the college drop-out governor has absolutely no understanding of university governance and is applying the same heavy handed partisan patronage to this regent's appointment that he has applied to other appointments in his failing administration. Autonomy and Integrity do not appear to be in Walker's vocabulary but they are critical to a world class university.

When will the insanity end?