Near the end of the spring semester and again on July 8, Dean Marcelle Haddix shared important messages with faculty and staff about the integration of administrative services across the School of Education and Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER).
“This work is about building One School that’s unified in purpose, values, and service,” says Haddix, who marked her first anniversary with the School of Education on Aug. 11.
The changes at the School level were enacted alongside the campus-wide launch of Workday on July 7 — and together are helping to align systems and reduce duplication, while ensuring units across the School receive consistent, high-quality support.
This One School commitment to an equitable infrastructure, shared resources, and collaboration is reflected in the formation of new administrative teams in human resources, finance and budget, client services, facilities, information technology, and research administration. These units are co-located in spaces across the Educational Sciences and Teacher Education buildings. In addition, the recently created Office of Research and Scholarship, led by Associate Dean for Research Dorothy Farrar Edwards and Director for Research Strategy Hanna Blazel, now serves as the hub for research support across the School. (Visit the Administrative Services website for details.)
Most recently, the School announced a new Office of Data Analytics (ODA), led by Sara Alva Lizarraga. As a School that has been leading in this space for many years, ODA will help ensure we continue to establish innovative reporting mechanisms and use best practices in ways that provide even more consistent and useful data.
While these moves have taken place during a challenging time — which includes a mandated 5% budget reduction from campus — Haddix stresses these efforts to streamline operations and improve the consistency of services were not a reaction to financial concerns.
And as the 2025-26 academic year draws closer, Haddix also wants to make clear that these changes are more than a structural shift — they are part of her One School vision.
In talking about this vision, Haddix noted a quote she took to heart from author Octavia Butler, who reminds us, “The only lasting truth is change.”
“This moment of transformation, while not without difficulty, brings energy and possibility,” says Haddix. “Our success will ultimately be measured by the improved experiences of our faculty, staff, and students — and our ability to move forward as One School, stronger together.”
As Haddix kicks off her second year leading the School of Education, the dean shares thoughts on the philosophy behind her One School vision in the following Q&A:
Question: You’ve been talking about this One School approach since this past spring. What does One School mean to you?
Haddix: For me, One School means leading with a holistic mindset. I care deeply about every part of the School — faculty, staff, students, and all our academic and administrative units across the arts, health, and education. It’s about valuing every part of the School. I’m inspired by the idea that we are all interconnected. l like the song “We Are One” by Frankie Beverly and Maze. I want everyone to feel seen, heard, and connected to our collective mission.
Question: How does this One School approach align with your broader vision for the School of Education?
Haddix: The One School vision serves as a guiding principle that informs my yearly goals and long-term strategy. This past year, much of the focus was on administrative reorganization and building a strong leadership team. It was thinking about what the key priorities are going to be in each area of the arts, health, and education. Going forward, priorities may focus more on collaboration and interdisciplinary work across departments and thinking School-wide rather than in silos — whether it’s in the academic mission, research, the student experience, or administrative services. How can we cultivate this feeling where people think of the School as a whole — and how each part contributes to that? Before we could think about what we would do, it was important to me to ensure we had an equitable infrastructure to support who we are. This first effort was to establish that infrastructure and I think we have many of the pieces in place now.
Question: There’s a lot of change going on not only in our School but across UW–Madison. Why do we need to be changing things now?
Haddix: Change can feel overwhelming, and it’s important to acknowledge that. I don’t want to minimize those feelings. But we’re also navigating change across higher education and in our broader society. If we waited for a “quiet” time, we’d never get anything done. That’s why I’ve emphasized a culture of continuous strategic thinking, not just a one-time planning effort. Change is constant. We’re building the capacity to adapt, together. It was wonderful to see people just kind of roll up their sleeves and jump in to make Workday happen and to get us through our reorganization. It was phenomenal to see so many people coming together to do something to better the School.
Question: How are you collecting feedback from faculty and staff to inform your decisions about how best to move forward?
Haddix: I take a relational and inclusive approach to leadership, using many ways to gather feedback. I spent a good part of the past academic year listening and learning. I met with every department and all of our units. I’ve met with our students and alumni, and also connected with faculty and staff during in-person Coffee with the Dean and Community Conversation events. I’ve held office hours and we’ve used surveys and had leadership retreats. We’ve built feedback into our regular structures. As a qualitative researcher, I deeply value listening to people’s experiences and perspectives.
I plan to continue these School-wide engagement efforts this coming year. In addition to meeting with every department and unit again, I will continue to hold regular Community Conversations and Coffee with the Dean gatherings. We will also have another State of the School event in March, along with other engagement activities that will be rolled out this year.
Question: What did you learn from the many conversations you had? What were some of the key takeaways?
Haddix: One thing that came through is there’s deep pride in our School. Many people also like the identity of our School as a place for the arts, health, and education. But I’ve also heard that many people are primarily focused on their own work and their own units, and aren’t always aware of what’s happening elsewhere in the School. I think finding ways to break down silos is important, because people can really benefit from more cross-unit collaboration and mechanisms to share successful practices. We have some units doing amazing, successful, and effective work with graduate students. Those strategies should be shared with other units so that all of our students can benefit. Additionally, we could engage in interdisciplinary collaborations in areas like literacy research, arts and creative engagement, AI and emerging technologies, and the health span. Collaborations like this could produce cutting-edge research and practices with improved outcomes that could change the world. Our broad range of expertise puts us in a position to tackle major educational challenges together.
Question: A year from now, what does success look like for the One School initiative?
Haddix: Success means better experiences for staff, faculty, and especially students. Students are central to the conversation and their experience is the ultimate metric of our success. We want our students to go out into the world and be the best and the brightest they can be. The One School vision is bringing art, health, and education together in our student experience, our research, and our classrooms. Yes, it is about establishing an equitable infrastructure but that is necessary for us to be all that we can be together. Our School brings together 10 highly regarded departments and a range of units under a shared mission: advancing knowledge and conducting vital work across the arts, health, and education. Through our varied interests and expertise, we work together to inspire innovation, support communities, and shape the future. The good life is a life where we see how art contributes to culture and health, how education builds up people from early childhood through their entire lives, and how health advances the care of the body, mind, and all that makes us who we are. These three work in tandem and are inextricably bound. Being One School helps us support the entire human experience. And that makes us special.