Chancellor Richard Telfer to retire

November 17, 2014

Dear Campus Community,

As most of you know, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater holds a very special place in my heart. It is with mixed emotions that I announce that I will retire as of June 30, 2015.

I came to UW-Whitewater thirty years ago as a faculty member in curriculum and instruction. I had the honor of serving many roles on this campus, but none of those positions was as enjoyable as being the chancellor of this great university. It's because of all of you that we've been able to accomplish so much and I know I will leave UW-Whitewater in excellent shape and in good hands. I believe we have exceptionally talented people in leadership positions who will continue to push for quality in the classroom and beyond. Just think about some of what we've accomplished together in recent years:
- We have record retention and graduation rates.
- We've had record enrollment the last four of five years.
- Our athletic teams have accomplished extraordinary feats, including six national championships last year alone.

During my tenure, we have developed one of the nation's top undergraduate research programs, we've embraced LEAP and made it a core part of our student experience, we began the New Student Seminar and the highly successful Learning Communities, we have successful McNair Scholar and King Chavez programs and we now have our first doctoral program in place in the College of Business and Economics. We will soon finish a highly successful endowment campaign that will bring more than $45 million to help our campus continue to flourish. I am also proud of the strong relationships we have with the Whitewater community and the region. The Whitewater University Technology Park and the Innovation Center are cornerstones of our efforts to engage with our region.

In terms of the future of the campus, UW System will begin a search for a new chancellor at some point. That information will be communicated with campus as soon as the details are known.

Roni and I look forward to seeing many of you in the coming months. Our plans for the immediate future after my retirement will be to see our two children, their spouses and our seven-year-old granddaughter and our one-year-old grandson. We also have some plans to travel. We will always be a part of the UW-Whitewater and Whitewater communities. This is our home and it is a special place, indeed.

Richard J. Telfer
Chancellor