Dr. Charles Wise
Dear Charlie,
Warmest congratulations to you on a career that will leave lasting, positive changes on how we think, teach, write, and behave. For me you have been a guiding light, personal mentor, and advocate. Thank you.
You and Lois were the first two faculty members with whom I spoke when investigating doctoral programs. The rest, as they say, is history. Since that first phone interview you have inspired a passion in me that has helped me meld my legal training into teaching and research in public administration.
One of my fondest memories occurred while I was 2nd year doc student. You approached me about working on a project with you, and I thought, "I have arrived." I don't recall the precise reason, but I later called your home to ask a question about the project and Lois answered the phone. I gave my name and asked for Dr. Wise, and Lois (loosely) covered the phone and said, "For Pete's sake Charlie, when are you going to have him start calling you Charlie. This Dr. Wise thing is getting confusing." I think that was about the only confusion that ever arose in our interactions. In everything else I was clear on your high expectations and demands for continual excellence. Those expectations helped me and many others become better scholars. I am trying to 'pay forward' those same expectations to my current students.
We once wrote an article together--indeed it may have been that first project to which I referred previously--in which we argued that state-level administrative institutions frequently have more capacity for self-directed improvement than external [federal] institutions assume. I will forever be grateful to you for seeing a greater capacity in me than I would have assumed myself.
Dr. Elinor Ostrom (1933-2012)
