Gary Sandefur believes building relationships is key for the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin.

Sandefur is the current dean of the College of Letters and Science, and the the only internal finalists for the chancellor position. He is also the first of the four candidates that will be in town this week to discuss the position.

“A big part of my approach to this job, especially in the first several months would be to try and talk to as many people as I could about what's going on at the university,” says Sandefur.

Sandefur says its important to understand the concerns and needs of people, and “try to think of ways that the university can work with people in Madison and the state to solve some of our common problems.”

Having been at the UW since 1984, Sandefur says he knows the institution, its problems, and the people. He is familiar with the current rift between the legislature and the university. His plan involves regular contact with state lawmakers, to “understand what their concerns and needs are. What things their worried about and working on.”

“I'd like for their to be ongoing relationship between myself and the legislative leadership just so we have channels of communication open and we can all understand what each end of State St is trying to accomplish,” says Sandefur.

If Sandefur becomes chancellor, a goal is to improve the undergraduate educational experience.

“A major responsibility at the University of Wisconsin is to Train the future leaders of the country and the world,” says Sandefur. “The people that come here are very talented, and and many of them go on to leadership positions in various kinds of business, the community, government, and elsewhere.”

In a press conference, Sandefur discussed other pertinent issues, including:

The importance of retaining faculty. Sandefur's plan involves trying to bring salaries in the state closer to the median of other institutions. He also focuses on Madison as a great place to live, and a university with great resources.

“There's not a better place in higher education to start your career,” says Sandefur.

Campus diversity. Sandefur points out he has been involved in major diversity initiatives on campus.

“It's very important for us to have a diverse student body, and a diverse faculty and staff,” says Sandefur. “It enhances educational experience for everyone.”

Being a candidate for chancellor.

“It's something that I really didn't think about 10-12 years ago,” says Sandefur. “As time moved on, it was something that emerged as an option.”

Encouraged by his peers, Sandefur applied for the position and is now one of the final four candidates. Sandefur admits he plans to stay at Wisconsin, even if he is not selected as the next chancellor.

“This is my... home,” says Sandefur. “Intellectual and otherwise.”