Another chancellor aiming for new job

by Carolyn Potts

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 02:42

The University of Wisconsin System could face its sixth chancellor leaving, as the UW-Oshkosh chancellor was named Monday as one of three finalists for a position in Pennsylvania.

UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Richard Wells was named a finalist in the search for the next chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and the school system said they would like to hire a new chancellor by July 1.

According to UW System spokesperson David Giroux, the Board of Regents has been discussing the need to retain academic leaders like chancellors for a long time.

“Now with all of these chancellors leaving or being recruited away, it is bringing more attention to it,” Giroux said.

Wells would be the fourth chancellor to leave to take a position at another institution.

According to PASSHE Media Relations manager Kenn Marshall, if Wells is chosen for the position and chooses to accept, he would be the chancellor of 14 universities and about 110,000 students. The other two finalists in the search are the commissioner of the University of Rhode Island and the president of the University of West Florida.

Salaries will be negotiated once the candidate is chosen by the PASSHE Board of Governors, but the current chancellor makes $327,000 a year, Marshall said.

 

UW faculty earning 20 percent less than peers

According to a report released Monday by the American Association of University Professors, UW faculty earn 20 percent less than professors at peer institutions. This includes both four-year and two-year institutions within the system, the report said.

“It reinforces the importance of preserving quality at our institutions,” Giroux said. “We have got to be much more cognizant of these pressures, and we have seen some indication that … people are starting to pay attention.”

UW Agronomy Department Chair William Tracy, a member of the Faculty Senate, said adequate faculty compensation is a major concern among faculty on campus.

Tracy said not only are valuable faculty members leaving campus, but the lack of adequate pay makes it hard to hire quality educators to fill vacancies.