In exchange for unlocking state funds for various projects, the University of Wisconsin-Madison agreed in 2023 to create an endowed chair to teach conservative political thought.
This professor did not have to be politically conservative, but the idea is they would teach about the values of conservative political thought and free markets.
Conservatives have long criticized the UW system as a bastion of liberalism, and to this day, Matt Lamb of The College Fix says the university has not hired anyone for the position.
"The response they gave is the exact same answer they gave a year ago, which is just that they're working on it, but they don't have any further updates to share," Lamb tells AFN.
He does not think this should be difficult.
"I know there are several conservative organizations in Wisconsin in the area," he notes. "I'm sure they have a massive development office. If they were fundraising for a DEI official or a gender studies chair, they would find the will, but my guess is the university really does not want this to happen."
AFN reached out to UW-Madison for comment and received this response from a spokesperson:
UW-Madison continues to actively work on the creation of an endowed chair in conservative political thought. We don't have other updates to share at this time.
Since 2023, the university has hired multiple scholars with a broad range of perspectives, including those who self-identify as conservative.
Note, the legislative agreement stipulates: "UW-Madison will seek philanthropic support to create an endowed chair to focus on conservative political thought, classical economic theory, or classical liberalism, depending on the donor's interest, conducting a national search to fill the position."
"It appears the University of Wisconsin will not be upholding their end of the bargain," Lamb concludes. "This is a serious indictment of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its leadership."
Failure to comply with the 2023 agreement, alongside broader political pressure, could jeopardize state and, by extension, other funding sources.
