Yes, Carolyn "Biddy" Martin is gay, and pending Board of Regents approval next week, she will be the next chancellor of UW-Madison.  I sincerely hope this isn't all we hear about this accomplished woman as news coverage unfolds over the appointment.  She's not the "gay chancellor," she's the "chancellor."

The Capital Times kicked things off with today's headline: "Martin would be first openly gay chancellor to lead UW-Madison."  I certainly see the newsworthiness of the milestone, but it's a slippery slope to sensationalism.  Guess we'll have to wait and see how further coverage unfolds.  Unfortunately, the paper had to shutdown the comment section of the story for a while because "some of the comments had gotten so vitriolic."  A complete shame.  Too bad a handful of bigots can shutdown a message board.

There is also a certain irony in appointing a gay woman as chancellor at a university lacking domestic partner benefits.  UW-Madison has been the only Big 10 university not offering partner benefits until a recent supreme court decision in Michigan halted the practice at the state's public universities.  As for Martin, she has said providing domestic partner benefits "is a matter of fairness but also a matter of competitiveness."

Martin, Cornell University provost, is no stranger to tangling with politicians.  It's no secret the next chancellor will face the daunting task of working with the Wisconsin Legislature, which has been resistant over funding and, ahem, policies.  Cornell is an unusual hybrid of public and private funding, and as provost, Martin has "frequently stepped into the gritty world of state politics with the New York Legislature," reports the Wisconsin State Journal.  Martin has said while public institutions must aggressively look at alternative funding models, it is vitally important for places like UW-Madison to continue to sell their importance and value to state leaders.

Martin has also said providing need-based financial aid will be a priority at UW-Madison. As provost, Martin developed a program to make financial aid available to low- and middle-income students.  She also administered a retention plan for faculty at Cornell, and voiced her intent to bring faculty salaries at UW-Madison in line with peer universities, which have lagged in recent years.  
 
Martin herself is taking a pay cut to come to UW-Madison.  Martin currently earns about $500,000 as Cornell University provost; the pay range for the chancellor post is $370,000 to $452,000. That's still nothing to spit at, granted, but dedication nonetheless. 

There will always be haters, but given her credentials and positive outlook, I have little doubt that Ms. Martin will be enthusiastically welcomed by the UW-Madison community when the announcement is official.  But the jury's still out until September on how savvy Martin will be in navigating the complexities of running this great institution.  I for one have high hopes.

(More comments from individuals who played a close role in the selection of the new UW-Madison chancellor.)