First and foremost, Mash a professional

Feb. 5, 2005
Editorial reprinted from the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram

There are several reasons UW-Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley at large will miss Donald Mash when he departs for his new job as UW System executive senior vice president.

For one thing, Mash said when he came here in 1998 he would not allow the local university to rest on its laurels. Within two years of his arrival the university launched the “Fulfilling the Promise of Excellence,” the most comprehensive fund-raising campaign in the school’s history. That effort has brought in $40 million, $5 million more than the original goal, which has now been upped to $50 million.

For another thing, Mash never lost sight of what he was all about: helping students. He talked proudly about them every chance he got. He noted their involvement in collaborative research with faculty, their volunteer efforts to help make our community a better place. He also lauded the students’ willingness to voluntarily pay additional tuition to help provide special programs and services to ensure UW-Eau Claire continued to rank as one of the best public regional universities in the Midwest and the nation.

But maybe what we’re going to miss most of all is not what Mash did, but how he did it. No matter how contentious the issue, Mash never talked down to anyone or gave the impression he was anything other than what he considers himself. And what he considers himself is a regular guy working for a cause he cares about deeply: public higher education.

Frankly, his job probably hasn’t been as much fun the last couple of years. A downturn in the economy and a huge deficit in the state budget required campuses to cut positions and raise tuition more than 30 percent. It’s hard to move forward under such a scenario.

But Mash focused on solving problems and being a positive influence, not griping about what he didn’t have. That refreshing style no doubt is part of the reason UW System President Kevin Reilly tabbed Mash for his new job. Our loss is the UW System’s gain.

Mash is the consummate professional. In recent years as UW campuses came under scrutiny for their spending, Mash’s response was measured but direct: “It has become clear that Wisconsin’s future is tied in large part to the vitality and mission of its system of public higher education. To that end, our university is both a leader and critical player in the Chippewa Valley and throughout the state.” Mash once said.

He repeated that theme often. If our future hinges on a knowledge-based economy with jobs flocking to areas with people who are highly trained, well educated and highly motivated, how can we achieve that without making the front-end investment in our universities? No raving and ranting. No threats or gloom-and-doom scenarios. Just a direct, steady message. How could you disagree with it?

The good news is we can expect Mash will continue to help Eau Claire maintain its reputation of excellence, as he will all the UW campuses. He’s just moving to a bigger stage. Even so, don’t expect him to forget where he came from. That’s not his style.

— Don Huebscher, editor