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.
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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.
