Chancellor Search

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Chancellor Search and Screen Committee Meeting
Monday, November 26, 2007 - 7:45-9:40 AM
Carlson Hall, Room 4041

Committee Members Present: Jimmy W. Peltier (Chair), Dennis Baskin, Barbara Bren, Carolina Calvillo, John Chenoweth, Michael Cohen, Robert Douglas, Denise Ehlen, Zohreh Ghavamshahidi, Jenny Hanewall, Joseph Hogan, Larry Kachel, Hephzibah Kumpaty, James Larson, Tisa Mason, Manuel Ossers, Ann Ruff, Nicholas Santilli, Faye Skelton, Susan Wildermuth

Committee Administrative Assistant: Liz Stegemann

Committee Members Absent: John Stone, Diana Rogers-Adkinson (Vice-Chair, on the phone for part)

Guests: President Saunders (on the phone), Students Governance Representatives (Ed Meier, Ryan Kekula, Allison Rygh, Sarah Herlache, Paul Murphy, Brandon VerVelde)

Follow-up from Previous Meeting
What happens if none of the candidates the committee sends to the board are selected?

  • Not sure of the exact procedure, but the committee can have a list of back-ups if there are more than 5 applicants who they feel are qualified

Phone Interview with President Saunders led by Jimmy Peltier (8:00-8:25)
Peltier: What do you feel are universal traits or qualities that all good chancellors must have?
President Saunders:

  • Communication skills - oral, written, and non verbal.
  • Ability to think strategically, to remain 2 or 3 steps ahead of the ball.
  • Enthusiasm.
  • Stamina.

Peltier: Specific to UWW and our campus, what would you say are the most critical qualities our chancellor must have to serve our internal constituents?
President Saunders:

  • Staying in touch with faculty and staff.
  • Knowing the day to day operations that keep the University running.
  • Understanding of the city of Whitewater.
  • Realizing that universities are complex; not a 9-5 job; everyone has a unique schedule.

Peltier: What does the chancellor need to know to serve the student body?
President Saunders:

  • Students are only here for a few years.
  • Students see immediate needs and look for immediate responses.

Peltier: What skills does a chancellor need to serve the local community?
President Saunders:

  • A realization that the university is the biggest neighborhood in a small community and that decisions made at the university have an immediate impact on the community.
  • An understanding that they will be a prominent citizen in the community.

Peltier: What were important things you needed to do at the system level?
President Saunders:

  • Work effectively with the system staff.
  • Educate them about the specific wants, needs, and goals of UW-Whitewater.
  • Ensure that UW-Whitewater is seen as a prominent member of the system.

Peltier: What skills are needed at the regional, state, and national levels?
President Saunders:

  • Being prepared to work with Wisconsin's aggressive media.
  • Keeping open lines of communication with the legislature.
  • Being able to spot national stories and to build the prestige of UW-Whitewater.

Peltier: How can we identify these traits in the candidates?
President Saunders:

  • The candidates should address them in their application materials. The committee can question to learn more.
  • Search the internet to see how they have handled things like media in the past.
  • Look to see if they have an awareness of the legislature and how they will need to interact.

Peltier: Will deans, provosts, and vice provosts have the skills and experience necessary to fill this position?
President Saunders:

  • They could. The committee should look for such candidates to have experience beyond the specific college with which they are associated.
  • These candidates may demonstrate an understanding of how the rest of the university works by being involved on committees or advising student groups.

Peltier: Thinking back to when you came to UWW, was there a quality or skill set that you feel you didn't have that you had to develop?
President Saunders:

  • Would have liked to have more direct experience with the legislature.
  • Did not understand how many people would want a piece of time.
  • Needed to learn to prioritize requests.

Peltier: In what ways were you well prepared?
President Saunders: Understood universities and knew how various aspects worked together

Peltier: What do you think were some of the reasons you were chosen for the position?
President Saunders:

  • Breadth of experience.
  • Experience in several different large university systems.
  • Quick on my feet.

Peltier: Thinking ahead, what do you think will be the greatest challenges facing our university?
President Saunders:

  • Because of the location of UWW, the chancellor will have the opportunity to get creative with enrollment strategies.
  • Making the presence of UWW known at the state and national levels.
  • Making people at the school and in the community feel cared for and valued.
  • Continuous improvement - Good enough is never enough.

Peltier: Last questions, if you had to pick three or four things that we should look for in a chancellor, what would they be?
President Saunders:

  • Passion for higher education.
  • Wants to be at UWW and honored by the opportunity.
  • Ability to engage and inspire people.

Peltier: Fundraising was one of your strong qualities, yet you didn't bring that up. Is that a skill we should look for in a candidate?
President Saunders: Yes, I forgot to mention that. Experience is best, but a solid understanding is also good. Fundraising is a keen opportunity at UWW, because there are many successful alumni.

Questions Among the Committee Members (8:25-8:30)
What about President Saunders stood out that made the committee choose her?
Peltier:

  • Reminder that the committee does not make preferences among the 5 candidates presented to the board.
  • Her energy and personality seemed very positive when she entered the room.
  • Everyone interviewed has a strong skill set, but it was clear that she would be able to connect with people.

Interview with Student Governance Representatives led by Peltier Peltier, Carolina Calvillo, and Nicholas Santilli (8:30-9:25)
Peltier: What do you feel are the greatest challenges that students will face over the next 3 to 5 years?
Student Governance Representatives

  • Managing time for school and work commitments.
  • Rising cost of tuition and other expenses.

Peltier: What qualities would you look for in a chancellor that would be useful in solving these problems?
Student Governance Representatives

  • Equip students to work to find solutions.
  • Tuition is the biggest issue. Will financial aid be available as tuition costs rise?
  • Commitment to program retention.
  • Emphasize diversity in education. Prepare students to respond to increasing globalization.
  • Teach students to network.

Calvillo: Thinking back to you student leader meetings or interactions with students, what are some of the major concerns that surfaced that are relevant to our chancellor search?
Student Governance Representatives

  • Facilitate community involvement and more positive relationships between students and the community.
  • Ensure input from students and faculty.
  • Increase student input and involvement in making decisions.
  • Solid and respectful.
  • Able to make a connection with the students.

Santilli: The Chancellor is the leader of the university. What do you think are some of the leadership qualities that we should look for in a chancellor?
Student Governance Representatives

  • Tact and discretion.
  • Out-going and visible at the university and in the community.
  • Passion for the campus.
  • Willing to listen to students and faculty.

Calvillo: Given these first few questions, what do you feel are key traits or qualities that we should look for in our next chancellor?
Student Governance Representatives

  • Planning ability
  • Integrity
  • Sound judgment
  • Confidence
  • Connection with students
  • Communication skills
  • Involvement with entire campus
  • Listening skills
  • Charisma
  • Ethical

Santilli: What skills should the chancellor have for working outside of UWW? For example, to work with parents, the community, the legislature, and the system.
Student Governance Representatives

  • Represent everyone and what the campus expresses, not just own opinions.
  • Effect change to make good things even better.

Santilli: What would the chancellor need to know to be successful in working with UWW students?
Student Governance Representatives

  • Reach out to students to gain trust.
  • Knowledge that students can turn at any time - watch wording and presentation of ideas and changes.

Santilli: If you had to prioritize, what would you pick as the three most important things that we should look for in our next chancellor?
Herlache:

  • Communicate with everyone, learn what people want to work to build a consensus.
  • Involved with entire campus - students and faculty.
  • Represent campus wherever they go.

Murphy:

  • Integrity and strong ethics.
  • Planning ability.
  • Sound judgment.

VerVelde:

  • Connection with students. Establish a direct line between of communication between the chancellor and the students.
  • Show discretion and charisma in representing the university publicly.
  • Sound judgment.

    Meier:

    • Ethics.
    • Visible to students and faculty.
    • Communication skills.

    Kekula:

    • Well-rounded.
    • Experienced.
    • Understanding and respect for student issues and concerns.

    Rygh:

    • Ethically sound.
    • Actively involved and connected to students.
    • Strong-willed - support students whole-heartedly.

    Most of the things mentioned will affect the immediate needs of students. What should the chancellor do that will continue to affect students in the future?

    • Work to attract a high caliber of students so the university remains competitive.
    • Enhance the relationship between students and the community.

    Upcoming Meetings

    • Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - Peltier and Rogers-Adkinson will meet with the deans
    • Thursday, November 29, 2007 - Peltier and Rogers-Adkinson will meet with the Chancellor's staff
    • Monday, December 3, 2007 - Committee will meet at 7:45 AM in Hyer 142
      • 8:00 AM - Faculty Senate representatives
      • 8:45 AM - Academic Assembly representatives
    • Wednesday, December 5, 2007
      • Committee invited to department chairs meeting at noon in room 2254 of the library.
      • Email John Stone (stonej@uww.edu) if you will be attending
      stonej@uww.eduMonday, December 10, 2007 - Committee will meet at 7:45 AM in Hyer 142
      • Multicultural Student Council representatives (tentative, Calvillo needs to set up)
      • Possibly also other groups that represent different kinds of diversity
      • Reply to All with a list of any additional groups that you think should be asked for input
    • Monday, December 17, 2007 - Committee will meet at 7:45 AM in Hyer 142
      • Interview Chancellor of La Crosse (tentative)
      • Interview Chancellor of Oshkosh

      Notes taken by Committee Administrative Assistant: Liz Stegemann