Three candidates recommended for UW-Madison provost

The search committee for a new provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at UW–Madison today has forwarded three candidates to Chancellor John Wiley for his consideration.

They are:

Patrick V. Farrell, executive associate dean of the UW–Madison College of Engineering;

Sue V. Rosser, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta; and

Kumble R. Subbaswamy, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Indiana University in Bloomington.

“At a highly complex institution like UW–Madison, the provost serves the essential role of providing leadership and establishing long-term direction across all of our schools and colleges,” says Wiley. “I look forward to learning more about our finalists and making the best possible choice for the institution.”

Mary Behan, a professor of comparative biosciences in the UW–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine, chaired the 16-member search committee. The committee began work in May 2005 to find a successor to Peter Spear, who retired in November after five years as the university’s provost.

More on the candidates:

Farrell has been with UW–Madison since 1982 as a member of the mechanical engineering faculty. He served as director of the Engine Research Center from 1999-2001, and beginning in 2001 became the College of Engineering associate dean for academic affairs. He was named executive associate dean in 2005.

Farrell’s research focuses on fluid mechanics, combustion and optical methods as they relate to engine design and function. He was part of the original team that developed an innovative hands-on design course for freshman engineers, and is a member of the UW–Madison Teaching Academy. As associate dean, he has been responsible for steering the academic mission of the college. Farrell earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan, his master’s at University of California-Berkeley and his doctorate at the University of Michigan, all in mechanical engineering.

Rosser, a professor of public policy and of history, technology and society, has been dean of Ivan Allen since 1999. She has also served as the director of the Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research at the University of Florida-Gainesville from 1995-1999; and the director of Women’s Studies at the University of South Carolina-Columbia from 1986-1995. She also served as senior program officer for women’s programs with the National Science Foundation in 1994-95.

Rosser, who holds an endowed chair of liberal arts and technology, has published extensively on women’s professional experiences in the sciences, gender and technology, and women’s health issues. As dean, she is responsible for oversight of 18 degree-granting programs and more than 250 faculty and staff. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in zoology, all from UW–Madison; as well as a bachelor’s in French from UW–Madison.

Subbaswamy has been a dean and a professor of physics at Indiana University since 2000. Prior to that, he was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Miami from 1997-2000. Subbaswamy was on the physics faculty of the University of Kentucky from 1978-1997, and also served as chair of Kentucky’s physics and astronomy department (1993-1997) and associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences (1991-1993).

A fellow of the American Physical Society, Subbaswamy’s research is in condensed matter physics and computational chemistry, with an emphasis on novel materials. As dean at Indiana, he expanded international programs and the volume of grants and contracts, and launched several new academic programs. He earned a bachelor’s at Bangalore University in India, a master’s at Delhi University in India and a doctorate at Indiana University, all in physics.

Faculty, staff and students will have an opportunity to learn more about each candidate during comprehensive interviews to be scheduled early in the spring 2006 semester.