Statement by UW System Regent President San W. Orr, Jr.

March 17, 2000

"David Ward has been a remarkably successful chancellor for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been a steady hand at the helm of the System's flagship campus.

"He has been enormously successful in bringing federal research dollars and private gifts to the university. He has maintained the Madison campus as an economic engine for the state of Wisconsin, and the new Madison Initiative now underway promises to deliver even more jobs and benefits to our state's citizens.

"It will not be easy to replace David Ward. This is one of the nation's greatest universities. We must undertake a national search to find a leader who can carry on its tradition of excellence in research, teaching and public service.

"I wish David well and thank him for his career-long commitment to UW-Madison and the state of Wisconsin."