In memory of Chancellor Emeritus James R. Connor
May 09, 2016
James R. Connor, the former University of Wisconsin-Whitewater chancellor who served for 17 years and was widely respected and admired by faculty, students and the community alike, died Sunday, May 8.
Funeral services will be held at noon on Saturday, May 28, at the Congregational United Church of Christ, 133 S. Franklin Street, in Whitewater. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 28, at the church until the time of the services. Memorials may be made to the James R. and Zoe E. Connor Scholarship fund through the UW-Whitewater Foundation. The campus flag will be lowered Monday, May 23, through Saturday, May 28, in his honor.
A U.S. Army veteran, Connor served as a history professor and administrator in Virginia and Illinois before being named UW-Whitewater's 11th chancellor in July 1974. He served until June 1991, longer than any chief administrator in the 148-year history of the UW-Whitewater campus except Albert Salisbury, who served for 26 years until his death in 1911.
"We are the great university we are today, in part, because of Jim Connor. He was a student-driven chancellor who cared deeply about UW-Whitewater. The university changed and grew under his leadership. Long after he retired, he and his wife, Zoe, were active members of our campus," said Chancellor Beverly Kopper. "This is a deep loss for our campus and our community. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."
During Connor's tenure, enrollment at UW-Whitewater grew from 8,150 to 11,000 students. He challenged the university to diversify its faculty, and to recruit and retain an increasing number of underrepresented minority students. Emphasizing the university's mission to serve students with disabilities, Connor continually looked for ways to provide even greater access and accommodations for students who needed them.
In summarizing his concern for students, Connor once stated, "I think we have created an environment of caring. We care about the students and celebrate their success, but if they fail, we all fail."
Connor pursued physical improvements on UW-Whitewater's campus to ensure that students would receive the best possible education in state-of-the-art facilities. McGraw Hall, the 1988 University Center addition, the Upham Hall greenhouse, the observatory, the Alumni Center and the Williams Center addition were all constructed on his watch, and more than 1,200 trees were planted on campus at his direction.
In bringing the dream of a multipurpose auditorium to reality, Connor was instrumental in developing the private support needed to build the $9 million Irvin L. Young Auditorium.
In April 1998, under the direction and leadership of Chancellor H. Gaylon Greenhill, the heart of campus — the University Center — was renamed and dedicated in honor of James R. Connor.
"More than any other chancellor up to that point, he had this incredible bond with students," Greenhill said. "James R. Connor was a very open and welcoming leader. He emphasized 'people over things' and liked to talk in terms of the 'Whitewater family.'"
Connor and his wife, Zoe, who preceded him in death in 2010, gave generously toward the University Center renovation, including funds toward a large meeting room and the balcony overlooking the north Wyman Mall. The Connors also made significant contributions toward the construction of Kachel Fieldhouse and Timothy J. Hyland Hall. They also endowed the Connor Leadership Scholarship.
Connor is credited with fostering a collegial atmosphere, a place of mutual trust and respect among students, faculty and staff and the community.
In his final state of the university address, Connor told his colleagues how much he would miss engaging with students.
"Nurture them well, and they will not fail you nor the large society in which they will take their places," he said. "In the final view, students are what we are all about."