After his retirement from his second stint as chancellor, Ward and his wife Judith relocated to the Los Angeles area.
[3] As chancellor, Ward oversaw a major overhaul of UW–Madison's information technology infrastructure, as well as the development of a cluster-hiring program called "The Madison Initiative Investment Plan".
Ward's chancellorship also saw the creation of new undergraduate residential learning communities on campus and the construction and opening of the Kohl Center.
Ward has served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development, Chairman of the Government Relations Council of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, and served on the Committee on Undergraduate Education of the Association of American Universities, the Science Coalition, and the Kellogg Commission on the Future of State and Land-Grant Universities.
In 2011, following Carolyn "Biddy" Martin's resignation to become president of Amherst College, Ward was appointed interim chancellor of UW-Madison to serve until a permanent replacement could be found.