Author Archives: W. Lee Hansen

Madness in Madison: The University of Wisconsin’s latest diversity plan calls for “equity” in high-demand majors and the distribution of grades

Posted on July 16, 2014 by W. Lee Hansen

July 16, 2014 The John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy Many American colleges and universities are in the thrall of “diversity,” but none more so than my institution, the University of Wisconsin. This spring, the university adopted a … Continue reading →

Posted in Forward Together, Uncategorized | Tagged 1966, academic disadvantage, academic excellence, academic preparation, ACT/SAT, Ad Hoc Diversity Planning Committee, affiliation, aptitude, avoid trouble, Board of Regents, Center for Equal Opportunity, class rank, cliche, commitment, compositional diversity, core, critical mass, deficit mindedness, definition of diversity, demonstration, difference group, diverse, diversity, education babble, emotional health, empty rhetoric, equity mindedness, excellence, Faculty Senate, framework, Framework for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence, gender expression, gender identity, goals, grade distribution, grade inflation, group differences, high demand, historically underrepresented, inclusion, Inclusive Excellence, increase diversity, individual differences, intellectual ability, intelligence, justification, language, learning style, life experience, mob-like, motivation, new policy, outbreak, personality, Peter Wood, physical ability, pro-diversity, progress, protest, race and ethnicity, racial preference policy, ramifications, recommendations, representational equity, research university, Roger Clegg, sacred cow, sexual orientation, shocking, sifting and winnowing, social differences, socio-economic status, spring, stigmatizing, students, targeted minority students, teaching, trigger, University of Wisconsin, utopian, UW-Madison, working definition, world-class | Leave a comment

Memorial Day Reflections: May 2014

Posted on May 29, 2014 by W. Lee Hansen

Memorial Day Reflections: May 2014 W. Lee Hansen wlhansen@wisc.edu Out of respect for the many Americans who fought and died fighting this country’s wars, I am always drawn to attend Memorial Day events. These gatherings are especially meaningful for two … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 32nd Division, 34th Division, American, American Legion, army, Battle of the Bulge, Bible, bombing, bugler, Capitol Square, cemetary, China, Civil War, Colonel Heg, Decoration Day, France, General John Logan, Germany B-17, Gettysburg Address, grandparent, gravestone, honor guard, Italy, Korean War, Licoln, Madison, Memorial Day, misty-eyed, Navy, North Cape, Norwegian, proclamation, Racine, Sweden, Taps, veteran, war, waterford, Women's Army Corps, World War I, World War II | Leave a comment

Why the Rush to Endorse the New Diversity Plan?

Posted on May 3, 2014 by W. Lee Hansen

May 3, 2014 Submitted to The Daily Cardinal What accounts for the “rush” to vote at Monday’s Faculty Senate meeting to approve a new UW-Madison diversity plan, FORWARD TOGETHER, developed by the Provost-appointed Ad Hoc Diversity Planning Committee? The effects … Continue reading →

Posted in Forward Together | Tagged accountability, Ad Hoc, Board of Regents, budget resources, compositional diversity, critical mass, deficit mindedness, dereliction of duties, Diversity Planning Committee, equality, equity mindedness, excellence, Expanded Definition of Diversity, Faculty Senate, Faculty Senate Meeting May 5 2014, Ford Fondation, Forward Together, framework, inclusion, Inclusive Excellence, key considerations, merican Association of Colleges and Universities, minority programs, provost, representational equity, rush, sifting and winnowing, strength, think tank, underrepresented, UW System, UW-Madison, vote, weakness | Leave a comment

Letter to the editor: New campus Diversity Plan is deeply flawed

Posted on May 1, 2014 by W. Lee Hansen

May 1, 2014 The Badger Herald What is the meaning of “diversity” and “Inclusive Excellence” in the new Diversity Plan that will be voted on at next Monday’s Faculty Senate meeting? This plan offers a radically different and much expanded … Continue reading →

Posted in Forward Together | Tagged American Association of Colleges and Universities, Board of Regents, cultural, definition, difference, diversity, ethnic, evaluation, faculty, Faculty Senate, framework, gender, high school, identity, implication, Inclusive Excellence, intellectual, language, learning style, life experience, minority, orientation, personality, physical, pipeline, Plan 2008, political, problem, question, race, rationale, religious, sex, socio-economic, University of Wisconsin, UW-Madison, vote | Leave a comment

W. Lee Hansen: Broader definition of diversity won’t help UW

Posted on May 1, 2014 by W. Lee Hansen

May 1, 2014 Wisconsin State Journal UW-Madison’s curious new diversity plan is finally available more than a year after its scheduled completion. Its title is a mouthful: “Forward Together: A Framework for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence: Goals and Recommendations.” The … Continue reading →

Posted in Forward Together | Tagged ability, academic, ACT, brainchild, cultural, definition, difference, diversity, ethnic, Forward Together, gender, goal, identity, Inclusive Excellence, political, racial, recommendation, religious, SAT, sexual orientation, socio-economic, think tank, transparency, UW-Madison, white privilege | Leave a comment

Concerns about Forward Together diversity plan: Memo to University Committee

Posted on April 23, 2014 by W. Lee Hansen

Members of the University Committee: With time growing short before the next Faculty Senate meeting when, as I understand it, the Ad Hoc Diversity Planning Committee will be submitting its new diversity plan and seeking Senate approve of it, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Forward Together | Tagged accountability, Ad Hoc, budget, concerns, diversity, diversity plan, Diversity Planning Committee, expenditure, Faculty Senate, Final Report on Plan 2008, Forward Together, FTE personnel, Inclusive Excellence, indicators of success, minority phD, multiple dimensions of diversity, negative implications, pipeline problem, public high school, rationale, recommendation, transparency, underrepresented, University Committee, UW-Madison, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

Letter to the Editor: Is labeling “targeted” minority students discriminatory?

Posted on April 8, 2014 by W. Lee Hansen

April 08, 2014 The Daily Cardinal The recently approved Regent Policy Document 14-6, “Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation,” raises troubling questions as UW-Madison formulates its new minority plan, “Forward Together: UW Madison’s Framework for Diversity and Exclusive Excellence.” The focus of … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary (2005- ) | Tagged 14-6, admission standard, African American, American Indian, competitive, discrimination, discriminatory harassment, diversity, double standard, excellence, exclusive, Forward Together, framework, harassment, Hispanic, holistic, institutional racism, Latino, Minority and Disadvantaged Student program, minority plan, Regent Policy Document 14-6, retaliation, selective, Southeast Asian, targeted, UW-Madison | Leave a comment

Letter to the editor: Madison’s Diversity Plan since Plan 2008 ended

Posted on February 26, 2014 by W. Lee Hansen

February 26, 2014 The Daily Cardinal Your news report (Ad Hoc Diversity Planning Committee releases UW-Madison Diversity Draft plan, Feb. 20, 2014) is wrong in repeating the assertion that UW-Madison has gone without a diversity plan since Plan 2008 ended … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary (2005- ) | Tagged Ad Hoc Committee, campus, chancellor, Damon Williams, disadvantaged, diversity, diversity program, draft, Faculty Senate, Inclusive Excellence, minority, minority student enrollment, provost, recommendations, strategic, UW-Madison | Leave a comment

Estimating the Resource Costs of Minority and Disadvantaged Student Programs

Posted on April 30, 2013 by W. Lee Hansen

W. Lee Hansen* Professor Emeritus Economics UW-Madison wlhansen@wisc.eduFor presentation at WISCAPE Brown Bag Wisconsin Idea Room, Education Building May 1, 2013: 12-1 pm Executive Summary This paper presents estimates of the full resource costs of Minority and Disadvantaged Student … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

CommA asymmetries raise questions [original title, “How enrolling in Comm A can boost your GPA”]

Posted on April 22, 2013 by W. Lee Hansen

April 22, 2013 The Badger Herald Entering freshmen students are likely to appreciate any advice they can get about how to raise their first-year GPA. The key is knowing whether, where and when they should enroll in their required general education composition course, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Writing Requirement | Leave a comment