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UW-Extension and UW Colleges Chancellor Finalists Named

UW-Extension Chancellor's Office
Oct 22 2010

News Release

October 22, 2010

UW Colleges and UW-Extension chancellor finalists named

MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin System President Kevin P. Reilly today announced six finalists for the position of chancellor at UW Colleges and UW-Extension.

A 23-member search and screen committee, chaired by Professor Christine Kniep, Family Living, Winnebago County, UW-Extension, recommended the slate of finalists to Reilly and a special committee of the UW System Board of Regents chaired by Regent Jeffrey Bartell of Madison.

Finalists (in alphabetical order):

Dr. Raymond Cross

President

Morrisville (N.Y.) State College

Dr. Melvin Johnson

President

Tennessee State University

Dr. William Messner

President

Holyoke (Mass.) Community College

Dr. James Moran, III

Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

Dr. Douglas Steele

Vice Provost and Director of Extension

Montana State University

Dr. Ann Valentine

President

Minnesota State Community and Technical College

Between Nov. 1 and 11, the six candidates will participate in a series of interviews, make a presentation via webcast, visit a UW Colleges campus and UW-Extension office, and meet with governance groups, offering opportunities for faculty, staff, students, and community members to interact directly with the finalists. The campus search and screen committee will post a schedule for those forums on its website.

Reilly and the special Regent committee also will interview the finalists in November. Along with Regent Bartell, committee members include Regent Tony Evers of Madison, Regent José Vásquez of Milwaukee, and Student Regent Aaron Wingad of UW-Eau Claire. They will recommend one candidate to the full Board of Regents, which must approve the appointment.

The person selected through this process will succeed Chancellor David Wilson, who stepped down in June 2010 to accept an appointment as the president of Morgan State University in Baltimore. UW-Madison Vice Provost and Dean of the Division of Continuing Studies Marv Van Kekerix is serving as interim chancellor. The University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin-Extension are two statewide institutions led by a single chancellor.

The University of Wisconsin Colleges is comprised of 13 freshman-sophomore campuses and UW Colleges Online that offer an associate degree in arts and science and prepare students of all ages and backgrounds for baccalaureate and professional programs. The University of Wisconsin-Extension includes Cooperative Extension offices in 72 counties and three tribal nations, 12 Small Business Development Centers and Outreach and E-Learning programs delivered via the 26 UW System campuses and distance-learning channels, as well as the statewide networks of Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television.

For more information about the six candidates, the public forums, and the search process, see www.uwex.uwc.edu/chancellorsearch. For information about the UW System, see www.wisconsin.edu.

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Media Contacts:

David F. Giroux

UW System

(608) 262-4464

Howard Cosgrove

UW Colleges and UW-Extension

(608) 262-9871

Contact:

Howard Cosgrove
(608) 262-9871