John A. Wanat dropped out of graduate school n where he was studying mathematics — in the 1960s and trained teachers in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer. The experience stirred his interest in education, and he returned to graduate school, this time in political science.



John A. Wanat dropped out of graduate school n where he was studying mathematics — in the 1960s and trained teachers in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer. The experience stirred his interest in education, and he returned to graduate school, this time in political science.

Wanat says administration can be a bridge between college, community

By Chris Hubbuch / Winona Daily News
Students, faculty and staff at Winona State University met the second of five finalists for the school's presidency Monday.

John A. Wanat, who recently stepped down as provost and vice chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, stressed the importance of communication between university administrations and their students as well as between universities and their host communities.

"There is always a little bit of tension" between universities and cities, he said. To foster good relationships a university needs lots of interaction with community leaders and providing them with the institution's long-range plans.

A university president should serve as a bridge between the institution and the outside community, Wanat said. Experiential learning, such as internships, help students build a sense of community, he said.

"Winona State is explicitly focused on educating you as competent citizens," Wanat told a group of students. "That was a very attractive element of this institution."

Wanat declined to offer a vision for the future of WSU, noting that as a candidate n or even as an incoming president n his role would be "a lot of listening."

Wanat, 63, dropped out of graduate school n where he was studying mathematics — in the 1960s and trained teachers in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer. The experience stirred his interest in education, and he returned to graduate school, this time in political science.

His academic specialization is budgeting and bureaucratic politics in public administration.
Wanat said he "grew up administratively" at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he taught and later served as Vice Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. From there he went to the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.

Both institutions had to compete with and define their identity against their "big brothers downstate," the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Wanat said.

Reporter Chris Hubbuch can be reached at (507) 453-3511 or chubbuch@winonadailynews.com.

When this story was posted in February 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:

The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in over 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related reference material in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can use the Main Index to find hundreds of stories about RPCVs who have your same interests, who served in your Country of Service, or who serve in your state.

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Make a call for the Peace Corps PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week.

Peace Corps Calendar:Tempest in a Teapot? Bulgarian writer Ognyan Georgiev has written a story which has made the front page of the newspaper "Telegraf" criticizing the photo selection for his country in the 2005 "Peace Corps Calendar" published by RPCVs of Madison, Wisconsin. RPCV Betsy Sergeant Snow, who submitted the photograph for the calendar, has published her reply. Read the stories and leave your comments.

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February 19, 2005: This Week's Top Stories NPCA Board positions are open for nomination 17 Feb Mike Tidwell on trial for climate action protest 17 Feb Katie Dyer is co-owner of Cadeaux du Monde 16 Feb Cyclone misses Tonga and Samoa PCVs 16 Feb Phil Hardberger in debate for Mayor of San Antonio 16 Feb Edmund Hull is Princeton Diplomat-In-Residence 16 Feb Bruce Greenlee is longtime friend of Latino community 15 Feb Mike Honda new vice chairman at DNC 15 Feb Jospeh Opala documents slave crossing from Sierra Leone 14 Feb Dear Dr. Brothers: Aren't PCVs Hippies? 14 Feb Joseph Lanning founded the World Education Fund 14 Feb Stanley Levine draws Marine and Peace Corps similarities 14 Feb Speaking Out: JFK envisioned millions of RPCVs 13 Feb Chris Aquino visits mother's homeland of Vietnam 12 Feb Is PCOL blocking users from posting messages? 12 Feb JFK Library opens Sargent Shriver Collection 1 Feb RPCV responds to Bulgaria Calendar concerns 28 Jan

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WWII participants became RPCVs Read about two RPCVs who participated in World War II in very different ways long before there was a Peace Corps. Retired Rear Adm. Francis J. Thomas (RPCV Fiji), a decorated hero of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, died Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 at 100. Mary Smeltzer (RPCV Botswana), 89, followed her Japanese students into WWII internment camps. We honor both RPCVs for their service.

Bush's FY06 Budget for the Peace Corps The White House is proposing $345 Million for the Peace Corps for FY06 - a $27.7 Million (8.7%) increase that would allow at least two new posts and maintain the existing number of volunteers at approximately 7,700. Bush's 2002 proposal to double the Peace Corps to 14,000 volunteers appears to have been forgotten. The proposed budget still needs to be approved by Congress.

RPCVs mobilize support for Countries of Service RPCV Groups mobilize to support their Countries of Service. Over 200 RPCVS have already applied to the Crisis Corps to provide Tsunami Recovery aid, RPCVs have written a letter urging President Bush and Congress to aid Democracy in Ukraine, and RPCVs are writing NBC about a recent episode of the "West Wing" and asking them to get their facts right about Turkey.

RPCVs contend for Academy Awards Bolivia RPCV Taylor Hackford's film "Ray" is up for awards in six categories including best picture, best actor and best director. "Autism Is a World" co-produced by Sierra Leone RPCV Douglas Biklen and nominated for best Documentary Short Subject, seeks to increase awareness of developmental disabilities. Colombian film "El Rey," previously in the running for the foreign-language award, includes the urban legend that PCVs teamed up with El Rey to bring cocaine to U.S. soil.

Ask Not As our country prepares for the inauguration of a President, we remember one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century and how his words inspired us. "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."

Read the stories and leave your comments.