Interviews 291 - 300

Each Guide entry contains information about an interview, including biographical data about the interviewee (name, vital dates, dates at the UW-Madison, and principal positions held as of the interview date), information about the interview (interviewer, year conducted, length, and series, transcript, and restriction information if applicable), and a list of key topics discussed in the interview. For more detailed information about an interview, or to obtain a copy of an interview contact the Oral History Program.

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Reasons for coming to UW; Prior training; Interest in fungi; Position in Division of Soil Microbiology in Washington, D.C.; Work on slime molds; Graduate work at Harvard; Work on penicillin at Northern Regional Research Laboratory during WWII; Department personalities and issues; Research grants; Influence of NSF and NIH on direction of research.

Background; Development of speech departments; Position at Wisconsin High; Gladys Borchers; Changes in field of speech; Speech Department in 1930s and 1940s; UW doctoral program; Political views in late 1930s; Campus atmosphere; Appointment as UW System vice president; Plans for review of academic program structure and effect of 1973 budget cuts; Lack of personnel policy and interim measures; Problems of liberal governors in 1970s; Failure of Governor Patrick Lucey's staff appointees to understand University; 1975 budget cuts; Issue of Ph.D. programs; Responsibility of faculty for quality of programs; Government intrusion in University affairs; Rigidity of UW budget; Problems with new sabbatical system; Recent changes in attitude toward Merger; Lucey's lack of understanding of University.

Protection of UW's special status in 1970s; Retrenchment budgets; Mission statements; Handling layoffs; Impact of collective bargaining bill for state employees on UW salaries; John Weaver and Edwin Young; Central administration staff; Legislature's increasing control over UW; Department of Administration's attempts at educational planning; Scope Report; Decline in state funds for UW; Governor Patrick Lucey's policies and their effects; Restrictions on University; Sabbaticals; Key legislators; Governor Anthony Earl's treatment of University; Salary freeze; Necessity for UW flexibility in money matters; Legislative Audit Bureau; TA collective bargaining bill; Lobbying by University; Board of Regents.

293.   EVERSON, George F.  (1912- )
Undergraduate Student; Director of Business Services
At UW: 1938-1941; 1948-1984

Interviewed: 1984	Length: 1.5 hours	Transcript: 57 pages
Interviewer: Laura Smail

Background; Business office; Payroll and budget before computers; Research administration; Business office personalities; Development of data processing; Recent use of computer for word processing; Development of new accounting system in 1970s; Cooperation with personnel office about budget data; Merger; UW and central administration business offices; Advantages of centralized payroll for System; Issue of public access to information; Student protest era; Effort to spread out nine-month salaries over year; Early retirement.

Merger; Discontent with CCHE and reasons for its failure; Business office's involvement with Merger statute; Mistake of limiting salary range for executives and consequences; Advantages of Merger; Debate over location of System offices; John Weaver, Leonard Haas, Donald Percy and Donald Smith; Establishing central data bank; Budget control system; Running dormitories; Money-saving aspects of Merger; Enrollment funding formula; Expense of monthly chancellor's meetings; Excitement of Fred Harvey Harrington years; His relationship with regents; Regents' reactions to student demonstrations; Issues in development of computing from 1945 and people involved; Competing needs of UW and System; Financing instructional computing; Failure to computerize student registration; Patent issues.

Causes and effects of Merger.

Comparison of PROFS and TAUWF; Collective bargaining issue; Function of PROFS; Relationship with Madison and central administrations; Deep concern over faculty salaries in early 1980s; University Committee committees on faculty salaries, instructional quality and economic impact of UW on state; Salary freeze; Efforts to win pay increase; Peer group comparison; Crucial board meeting; University and Legislature; Key legislators; Experience of lobbying.

Issues discussed by University Committee during 1987-88 academic year in context of future of faculty governance and relations of UW-Madison with UW System and regents: Student rights; ROTC; Centers of Excellence program; Admissions policy; Merit scholarships; Extension; Search and screen procedures; Madison Plan; Review of degree programs; Mission statement; Loss of top faculty.

296.   YOUNG, William H.  (1912- )
Graduate Student; Professor of Political Science; Budget Officer
At UW: 1939-1941; 1947-1983

University budget issues in 1950s: faculty salaries, use of tuition income, land purchase and building program; Programs competing for state funds; Changes in presentation of budget to regents, governor's office and Legislature; Enrollment funding formula; Origins of Merger problem; Committee on Functions and Policies; Push for Merger in 1953 and 1955; Working under governors Oscar Rennebohm and Walter Kohler; Establishment of UW-Milwaukee and efforts to upgrade it; False premises of 1971 Merger legislation; Hilldale Shopping Center; Development of clinical practice pay plan for Medical School; Issues surrounding firing of John Bowers; Consequences for Medical School and University.

Childhood and education; Depression era; UW Department of Political Science from the 1940s to the1970s; Faculty members, including Llewellyn Pfankuchen, Frederic Ogg, John Gaus, Grayson Kirk, Clara Penniman, Fred Clarenbach, Leon Epstein, John Salter, and Henry C. Hart; State politics; Governor Rennebohm; UW budget in the 1950s; Center for Development; Political science department contributions to public service.

297.   PERCY, Donald E.  (1933- )
Vice President; Vice President of UW System
At UW: 1963-1975; 1983

Statewide coordination of higher education and demise of CCHE; Competition between institutions in System before Merger; Fred Harvey Harrington administration; Appointment of John Weaver; Reaction of Madison faculty and Board of Regents to Merger; Governor Patrick Lucey's relationship with those bodies; Early Weaver administration; Problems implementing Merger; Post-Merger Weaver administration; Budget preparation and mission statements; Experiences in Mathematics Research Center, as dean of L&S and as vice president under Robert Clodius; Extension Merger; Development of Green Bay and Parkside campuses; Problems in merged system; Coordination of System chancellors; Disarming TAUWF; Development of System-wide database; Development of budget allocation system; Management of computer facilities; Comment on System presidency; Academic career.

Research and writing on Spanish literature and poetry; Teaching; Spanish Department; Translation work; Writing on fictional women; Method of writing; Background; Favorite books.

Background; Undergraduate experience at University of Chicago; Graduate work at Michigan; Year teaching at Brown; Appointment at UW; Wisconsin Longitudinal Study; Research on occupational changes in generation; Issue of access to data; Current projects; Colleagues; Sewall Wright's contributions.

Program development; Tradition of interdisciplinary programs; SSRI and Poverty Institute; Critical issues during vice chancellorship under William Sewell; Potential role of chancellor's office in retaining and supporting faculty; Development of personnel policy; Changes in secretary of faculty's office; Effects of Merger on UW-Madison; Conditions of TAs in 1960s; Recognition of TAA; TAA Structure Agreement negotiations; His background.

Patrick Lucey's campaign; Fatal flaw in Merger; System staff; Use of Madison funds for other institutions under Fred Harvey Harrington; Danger of regents making policy previously made by faculty; Current Board of Regents; Legislative constraint on UW's financial flexibility; Effect on quality of instruction; Responsibilities as vice chancellor under Irving Shain; Dealing with underfunding; Effect of Merger on academic planning; Implication of Centers of Excellence proposal for Madison; Lobbying; Enrollment funding; TA Strike of 1980; Relationship between President Robert O'Neil and Chancellor Irving Shain; Relationships among Madison, System and state government; Athletics issue; Faculty salary issues: Star Fund, freeze and catch-up; Academic staff issues.

Types of extension programs; 1982 UW Extension reintegration and its success; Reversal of integration; Problems created by current structure of Extension; Advantages of System management of Extension; Conflict of interest concerning allocation of funds; Uniqueness of Extension's function; Erosion of Extension.

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