Following yesterday’s announcement that University Provost Carolyn “Biddy” Martin has accepted the position of University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor, the University is in the most preliminary stages of searching for Martin’s successor. Martin will continue to serve as provost during the summer.

Cornell University students, faculty and staff may be surprised to hear the latest news about long-time University Provost Carolyn “Biddy” Martin: as of this morning, she has accepted the position of University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor.

The decision is pending Board of Regents approval, according to The Capital Times, a Madison newspaper. She is expected to be approved at the Board of Regents’ meeting on June 5-6 at U.W.-Milwaukee.

Cornell is the only Ivy League University to have students, faculty and staff as full members on the Board of Trustees, in addition to alumni. In its annual process of electing new trustees, the Board recently added five new names to the 64-person list of members, including a faculty member, staff member, graduate student, and two alumni.

"I think it's important to have a faculty voice at the Board of Trustees to maintain a connection between the deliberations and decisions of the Board and the activities and priorities of the University from a faculty and student perspective," said new Faculty Trustee Prof. Rosemary Avery, chair of the Department of Policy Analysis and Management

Four people are vying to take over for University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jon Wiley at the helm of the nation’s 10th largest university when he steps down in September. One candidate is Cornell’s own Provost Biddy Martin.

U.W. System President Kevin Reilly named Martin a finalist for the position on Wednesday, signifying that she has made one of the last cuts in the chancellor search.

This summer the University bid farewell to four of its top officers, backtracking on decades of growth by the administration. This was a move we anticipated, and one we will not be quick to criticize. The creation of these posts initially was the byproduct an era of superfluous spending at Cornell — an era that bears little resemblance to the current state of affairs.

According to Provost Kent Fuchs, the elimination of these positions does not mean the destruction of the ideas or initiatives that the posts were meant to oversee. In his eyes, these officers’ duties will be reallocated to other administrators, cutting hefty salaries from University payroll while maintaining Cornell's various commitments.

The University announced at the end of last month that Susan Henry, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will step down from her position at the end of this upcoming academic year. Henry, who has spent nine years at the helm of Cornell's second largest college, will devote more time to teaching and research in her current appointment as professor of molecular biology and genetics.

During Henry's tenure, the dean oversaw the creation of the department of applied economics and management, the creation of a teaching winery, and the large-scale renovation of Mann Library, according to the University. She also sat on the State Council on Food Policy under Gov. David Paterson (D) and the Agricultural Advisory Council under former Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.).