Oral History Interview: Akbar Ally (0906) - (:unkn) unknown (My University, 2008)
Abstract: In his three 2007-08 interviews with Sandy Pfahler, Akbar Ally talks about the experiences that led him to UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee and his work in the administration of the universities from the late 1960s to the early 2000s. Dr. Ally began his career in the UW-Madison Graduate School working in student affairs for Dean Robert Bock. His primary area of responsibility was the recruitment and retention of minority students. In 1989 he became Special Assistant to Provost David Ward and continued to specialize in programs for minority and disadvantaged students. Dr. Ally discusses the turbulence at the time created by minority students and other campus activists who were working to change the campus environment. From the turbulence Chancellor Donna Shalala introduced the Madison Plan. Dr. Ally played a major role in the implementation of the Madison Plan. When David Ward became Chancellor Dr. Ally continued his work in the Provost's office under John Wiley and retired as an assistant vice chancellor in 2002. Also covered in the interview is Dr. Ally's childhood growing up in British Guyana. He shares information on how the U.S. government funded his college education at St. Lawrence University in New York. He earned his PhD in urban studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. This interview was conducted for inclusion in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives Oral History project. Key Words: University of Wisconsin-Madison; influence peddling; Graduate School; David Ward; Judith "Judy" Williams; Advanced Opportunity Fellowships (AOF) program; Isadore Fine; June Osborn; Alfred Hampton; Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC); Donna Shalala; Madison Plan; Phil Certain; Terrence Millar; John Wiley; Division of Student Affairs; Paul Barrows; Greg Vincent; Esrold Nurse; Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence (PEOPLE); Guyana; British colonialism; debate club; Walter Rodney; St. Lawrence University (NY); Queen's College (HS in Georgetown Guyana); Canada; discrimination; Rupert?s House Indian Day School; Quebec; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Keywords: Advanced Opportunity Fellowships; Office of Student Affairs; Madison Plan