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00:00:00 - Name Check and Interview Introduction

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Partial Transcript: LEH: So could you say your name and spell out your last name.

00:00:21 - Interviewee Background Information

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Partial Transcript: LEH: With um, what is your position in the UW System and your history?

Segment Synopsis: Discusses position at the UW Extension and focus on managing merger of Extension with UW Madison. Segues into history of career as the history of staff for the chancellor, a lawyer, and an administrator.

Keywords: UW Extension; UW Public Media; UW System; governance; labor education; mission

00:03:07 - Discussion of Cooperative Extension, Public Media, and Transfer of Institutions

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Partial Transcript: LEH: What made you return to Madison? CN: Well, that's a complicated question.

Segment Synopsis: Talks about movement back to Wisconsin. Discusses steering committees and priorities of committees in transitioning areas of the Extension. Talks about IT transition taking longer, and timelines of transitions for operations. Moves into discussion of operations and their relationships to each other, and the development of a matrix to help understand differences between different functions and budgeting. Talks about timelines and separate development of a governance steering committee; further discussion of timeline for restructuring.

Keywords: UW Madison; UW Public Media; budget; conference centers; cooperative extension; governance; labor education; organizational structure; restructuring; staff; steering committee

00:12:38 - Discussion of Restructuring Timelines for Extension and Public Media

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Partial Transcript: CN: But we wanted to do what we could to respect that projected date, which was basically made up

Segment Synopsis: Talks about timelines and separate development of a governance steering committee; further discussion of timeline fo restructuring. Discusses involvement on statewide committee. Talks about accreditation and financial aid and their importance for UW Colleges, and importance for establishing timelines.

Keywords: UW Colleges; UW System; cooperative extension; governance; project management; restructuring; steering committee; transfer

00:17:11 - Extension Restructuring and Local Community Relations

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Partial Transcript: LEH: Definitely. Could you talk a little bit more about the questions that people had

Segment Synopsis: Discusses lack of opposition/acceptance of movement to UW Madison amongst Public Media, Extension, and Department of Labor Education. Talks need for outreach to staff and stakeholder, about unease amongst stakeholders in the Extension, and unease about Madison and movement to Madison.
Follow up: Why do you think local communities are so suspicious [of Madison]?
Discusses differences in perceived importance of education, and education is more local/smaller than Madison. Adds that Madison is a research university, which people can't relate to or don't understand, and that there is a perceived lack of engagement between Madison and other communities. Talks about benefits of Madison researchers to engage with these communities in the future.

Keywords: UW Public Media; community relations; cooperative extension; labor education

00:26:17 - Extension and Communication with Local Communities

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Partial Transcript: LEH: So I guess, sort of like, how do you assess needs and um, get people to want to come to you from these communities

Segment Synopsis: Talks about use of on the ground personnel at UW Extension and making community input system wide, and current on the ground collaborations.

Keywords: UW Madison; UW System; communication; community relations; cooperative extension; staff

00:29:47 - Mission of Restructuring in Public Media/Extension

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Partial Transcript: LEH: Uh so I guess why don't we move to sort of like programming and um, public programs.

Segment Synopsis: No impact took place on programming, and emphasis that transition wasn't to change the functions of the Extension to align them with the UW Madison mission. Talks about discussion of keeping communication open, and potential for changing programs in the future.

Keywords: UW Madison; UW Public Media; community relations; cooperative extension; reorganization; restructuring

00:33:56 - Movement of the Department of Labor Education

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Partial Transcript: LEH: Um, yeah, um... Um so you mentioned the Department of Labor Education, could you talk more about that

Segment Synopsis: Discusses mission of Department of Labor Education in focusing on labor advocacy, and movement of the department into the Division of Continuing Studies. Department was more involved with Department of Continuing Studies than with Extension. Discusses lack of role for an academic department within UW Extension once Department of Labor Studies, moved to Madison. Talks about the mission of UW Extension as not qualifying/having the capacity to deal with for-credit programming, and difference in mission with Division of Continuing Studies.

Keywords: UW Madison; UW System; academic programs; continuing studies; cooperative extension; labor education; organizational structure; restructuring

00:40:20 - Communication of Restructuring and Restructuring Concerns

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Partial Transcript: LEH: What do you think were the most um, like important conversations you were having with people involved in Extension?

Segment Synopsis: Notes that most important conversations occurred with governance groups, working groups, and steering team within UW Extension. Importance of making progress within timeline, and reliance on county organizations to provide information and communicate with communities. Notes that there was little to no concern within public media over move to Madison. Discusses community concerns about movement to Madison making public media a "liberal" outpost.

Keywords: community relations; cooperative extension; county relations; governance; steering committee

00:47:41 - Movement of Public Media to Madison

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Partial Transcript: CN: I mean, if there was any unease on the part of public media, it was you know, new boss, are they gonna try to make us change

Segment Synopsis: No question. Notes that concern within public media was over presence of new bosses impacting programming, but that he had to reassure employees that freedom of information continues to be important to Madison and public programs.

Keywords: UW Madison; UW Public Media; communication; organizational structure

00:49:20 - Discussion of Operations of the Extension After Restructuring

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Partial Transcript: LEH: Do you think that the sort of traditions and legacies surrounding Extension were able to be integrated into Madison pretty well?

Segment Synopsis: Discusses change in business practices among partnerships established at the UW Extension. Discusses reliance on volunteers and need to implement more monitoring and screening for volunteers, and changes in relationships with counties in delegating responsibility/contracts. Notes that Madison is held to a higher standard than the former Extension was, and the Extension needs to change to reflect that.

Keywords: UW Madison; cooperative extension; county relations; organizational structure; restructuring

00:57:12 - Discussion of IT Issues and Differences in Extension Structure

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Partial Transcript: LEH: So you also briefly talked about IT and that whole process

Segment Synopsis: Discusses difficulties of working with different areas of IT, conference centers, and bulk mailing, and merging different systems. Moves into discussion of HR and differences between rules of different HR systems, and how moving to Madison changed some functions (such as the rules for acquiring tenure or emiritus status).

Follow up: What do you think were people's short term and long term reactions to changes with benefits?
Talks about maintaining balance and making sure that people were satisfied, but that a few individuals were victims of difficult circumstances. Moves into discussion of Madison as a research institution, and non-teaching faculty at UW Extension.

Keywords: UW Madison; UW Public Media; UW System; conference centers; cooperative extension; organizational structure; reorganization; restructuring

01:08:08 - Final Thoughts

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Partial Transcript: LEH: Um, alright I think maybe that's a good place to stop. Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Segment Synopsis: Talks about dedication of workers at UW, and special nature of the UW System.

Keywords: UW System; staff culture

01:09:57 - End of Interview