UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #305
ADAMANY, DAVID

ADAMANY, David (1936- )
Graduate Student; Professor of Political Science
At UW: 1961-1964; 1966; 1972-1977

Interviewed: August 1, 1985	
Series: Merger
Interviewer: Laura Smail     
Length: 2 hours        

Abstract: In his August 1, 1985 interview with Laura Smail, David Adamany detailed his involvement in the establishment of the UW System. Adamany discusses the work of Fred Harvey Harrington in the 1960s. Included is the budgetary concerns of the campus during the 1970s. Adamany also shares his involvement in Governor Lucey’s campaign. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the UW—Madison Oral History Program.

Keywords: Build-up to Merger; Its passage; Governor Patrick Lucey's attitude toward higher education and Madison campus; Adamany's role in 1970 campaign and passage of Merger bill; Political vulnerability of Madison campus; Activity of Fred Harvey Harrington and legislators in 1960s with respect to higher education; Controversial appointment of President John Weaver; Structure of merged System; Issues of neglect of undergraduate education, control of academic positions and appointments, academic staff job classification, post-Merger budgets, and nature of System presidency and Board of Regents; Key figures in politics and University administration; Policies as president of Wayne State University.

Tape 1/Side 1
00:00:37	DA disclaims fatherhood of merger.  Lucey wouldn't be talked into something he didn't want to do.  Harrington had free hand under Reynolds.  Got what he wanted.  Reynolds was defeated for raising taxes--used money for university and care for underprivileged.  A number of people in government disillusioned that UW hadn't spent money on undergraduate teaching when basis for getting money was increasing enrollments.  Much of it used to reduce teaching loads. Even Reynolds disappointed.  Class size actually increasing.  More important as factor in idea for merger was Lucey's observation of unseemly competition between UW and WSU, and CCHE failure to rule in vet school decision.  Wasteful.  Lucey abhors waste.

00:08:11	Q. re DA's accusation of neglect of undergraduate education.  DA acknowledges some need to lower case load to keep good people.  But money given on basis of high enrollment and not used for that.  Q: Did you fault Harrington?   A: Not as much candor as should have been.  UW didn't make clear that money to be used for research increase.

00:10:11	Unrealistic that UW System would be like California system--all campuses offering Ph.D.'s.  Lucey in favor of putting Green Bay and Parkside into UW System but began to see could not have that many doctoral systems.  DA doesn't think Molinaro made the main push for Green Bay and Parkside.  Thinks Harrington did.  Certainly UW fought hard to get Green Bay and Parkside.  DA agrees UW needed these campuses to compete with WSU, but four doctoral institutions was hopelessly unrealistic.  

00:14:12	Decline in birthrate being predicted late '60s, early '70s.  Heavily influenced Lucey in 1970s budgets.  No one saw that enrollments would increase in Madison.  Also expected many commuting older students on other campuses. 

00:16:25	Quality of intellectual life much higher in Madison.  Q: Did people at Whitewater think they taught better?  DA says was different--smaller classes, more interaction, more exciting for students.  LS notes only 40% of WSU (Wisconsin State Universities) faculty had Ph.D.'s.  DA says Whitewater did have more Ph.D.'s, recruited from good institutions.  Doesn't think undergraduate education given as a reason for merger.  And thinks push for equality of opportunity was in terms of an Eau Claire degree being equal to Green Bay, not Madison.  No thought of equaling Madison salaries.  

00:22:04	TAUWF (The Association of University of Wisconsin Faculty)'s push for equal salaries began in 1960s.  Not a function of merger.  (LS quoting O'Neil's question as to when WSU faculties got notion should have salaries equal to Madison.)  LS points out higher raises to WSU faculty.  DA agrees in merger year higher salaries were given to WSU people--done to attract good teachers.  DA talks about rewriting history.  Not all Madison's problems, contrary to general opinion, come from merger. Question of retaining first-rate teaching faculty. 

00:25:25	“Desire to recreate the history of the period.” In 1970, the legislature was controlled by the most conservative wing of Republican Party.  Committees looking specifically at disruption on Madison campus.  Kent State, Sterling Hall bombing that year.  Madison on losing end in two ways, and hadn't used its Milwaukee campus to mobilize the Milwaukee delegation in its support.

00:28:30	End of side.

Tape 1/Side 2
00:28:32	No base for support in Milwaukee.  Eroding support elsewhere.  An argument for merger was that it would diminish efforts of other campuses to weaken Madison.  Protect Madison.  

00:31:59	DA doesn't think TA strike had any influence. Low level of consciousness across the state about their organization and strike. 

00:34:23	DA's reasons for pushing merger--undergraduate teaching neglect; WSU should get same degree by giving UW name to all institutions.  With expected departure of Harrington and McPhee, Lucey announced hope that regents wouldn't appoint replacement while reorganization higher education being considered.  Q: Why wasn't the possibility of merger brought up again in Lucey's campaign?  His supporters certainly didn't think of it as part of his program.  DA says reason was not to spur Republican regents into making a more rapid appointment of president.  Lucey didn't want to make it a partisan issue.  But they went ahead, and set up, as a result, a state of confrontation between governor and president.  Regents responsible for that.  President had to oppose merger.  LS and DA discussing what Lucey's real motivation was.  DA stressing Lucey's commitment to carrying out his promises.  Open housing and reapportionment examples from earlier years.

00:48:35	DA didn't have any clear idea of what merged structure would be other than having a single board of regents and one president, and run its own affairs.  Q. re handicap of large board.  Discuss size of boards.  The implementation legislation wasn't anticipated.  University had an enormous say in it.  Ed Young has said benefit of merger was that it gave the UW a statutory charter putting into place provision for faculty participation in government and safeguarded this.  State government only gets involved on budget--wants budget formulas to reflect differences between campuses.  The merger had to solve political and administrative disarray.

00:54:58	End of side. End of tape. 

Tape 2/Side 1
00:55:02	Two possible arrangements in a university system--that each institution have a separate board, or one board.  LS quotes Don Smith r.e. desirability of separate boards for each institution.  DA cites drawbacks of that.  Lucey deliberately trying to break the "local regent" appointment pattern.  Q r.e. Kellett Commission Report.  DA in effect didn't pay any attention to it.

01:00:42	Q. re DA's return to state.  Came to help put on Lucey campaign.  Wrote speeches, oversaw media campaign, helped devise and interpret polls.  Worked on state of state speech and plan for merger.

01:04:58	Q. re Lucey's staff.  DA puts remarks about it down to "desire to find devils".  Speaks again of the general distaste for the state of combat between UW and WSU.  Says differential pay package couldn't have happened without merger.  LS asks re various conflicts under merger.  DA keeps comparing to old system.  

01:13:54	DA had nothing to do with 1971 budget.  Reminds LS that there was a deficit and Lucey had to increase taxes.  Discusses some things he (DA) wanted that got passed.  In 1974 had great influence.  Two thirds of budget made by Department of Internal Revenue.  Barbara Thompson not popular with Lucey so DIR reviewed her budget besides.  

01:19:26	Q. re reported highhandedness of DOA (Department of Administration).  Joe Nussbaum (DOA) questioned efficiency of expenditure in University.  Productivity improvement was his idea, DA thinks.  DA thought research universities had excessively expensive instructional budgets due giving same teaching load to productive and unproductive researchers.  Giving the latter a higher teaching load would solve it.  University never willing to entertain the idea so had to take the cuts out in other ways.  Nussbaum's argument was that added students don't cost as much as first students.  DA said UW already underfunded so better to stick to unit case.  DOA prevailed.

01:24:20	End of side. End of tape.

Tape 2/Side 2
01:24:22	He's following his policy of differential teaching loads at Wayne State.  Discusses.  DA didn't favor closing campuses.  Q. re issue of flexibility for regents to dispose of money.  The issue of position control.  DA didn't favor giving it to state.  Reynolds moved budget from line item to program budgeting, which DA favors, but with sanctions if too much spent on positions.

01:30:42	Percy.  Difficult man.  Example of his chewing DA out.  But was thought capable and good planner.  O'Neil.  He improved the visibility and image of the UW.  Explained its serious mission to the public.  Chancellors will always have a political network.  No way to control that.

01:36:09	DA refused to be considered a candidate for presidency.  Prefers having a campus.  In some systems president also has a campus.  UW System probably too large for that.  Arguments for and against.  No one realized at time of merger what difficulty there would be in defining the presidency.  Few going systems in country as precedents.  A much discussed problem around the country now.  

01:43:37	Q. re drawbacks of merger, e.g. attempts to impose uniformity which is hard on Madison.  Recent academic staff reorganization as example.  DA not up on it.

01:47:48	Final discussion of 1960s.  Lack of openness was a real problem.  The legislature was changing.  But Harrington was a man of vision. 

01:53:52	End of side. End of tape. End of interview. 

END