Brian Levin-Stankevich received the recommendation for the chancellor position at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Thursday.
UW System President Kevin Reilly along with the Board of Regents' Special Committee for the UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Search selected Levin-Stankevich out of four total finalists. Their recommendation is slated to come before the full Board of Regents for approval Feb. 10.
"I think it's a wonderful nomination," UW-Eau Claire spokesperson Robert Hooper said of Levin-Stankevich. "What really impressed us the most was the breadth of his experience."
Levin-Stankevich has been serving as interim president of Eastern Washington University, where he also held positions as provost and vice president for academic affairs, vice president for student affairs and as a professor. His resume also includes positions at State University of New York-Buffalo and Florida Atlantic University.
Among his many contributions to Eastern Washington University, Levin-Stankevich demonstrated a dedication to diversity initiatives. Addressing similar diversity issues at UW-Eau Claire would be beneficial for the campus and community, according to Levin-Stankevich.
"Eastern Washington is similar to Eau Claire with its relationship in the state to the largest urban centers," Levin-Stankevich noted. "[T]here is lesser diversity in that area of Wisconsin."
Recruitment programs, financial aid for the lower-income population, funding for recruiting faculty and staff of color and open forums with students about the campus racial climate are all steps Levin-Stankevich implemented at Eastern Washington University to address racial concerns. According to the potential UW-Eau Claire chancellor, similar programs could help "create awareness of diversity" in the Eau Claire community.
These and other qualifications made Levin-Stankevich a desirable candidate to the campus, city and recommending regent committee, Hooper said. He visited UW-Eau Claire last week and, according to Hooper, was well received.
"It was an excellent visit," Hooper said. "He just has great energy and great excitement. The response [from the UW-Eau Claire campus and community] was extremely positive."
Each of the four finalists paid a visit to the campus, participating in an array of planned activities including open forums, photo sessions, tours and receptions. UW System spokesperson Doug Bradley said these visits helped to measure the excitement surrounding each candidate.
According to Hooper, the candidates' visits helped to not only familiarize them with the campus, but also gave the UW-Eau Claire community a telling impression of their potential chancellor.
"[The chancellor selection] was a tough decision," Hooper said. "Our campus doesn't get the final say, but we had our input, and [President Reilly and the special regent committee] did an excellent job of listening to us and responding to the university's needs."
Input from the community following the candidates' visits, along with resumes and face-to-face interviews, were considered in the regent committee's decision-making process.
"My sense was that all the finalists made good, strong, positive representations," Bradley said. "We had four good people, and [Levin-Stankevich] is first rate."
Bradley went on to say that considering UW's "tough times with salary issues," the university was lucky to have such accomplished, qualified candidates to consider for the chancellorship.
The UW-Eau Claire chancellor recommendation is awaiting approval by the full Board of Regents next week. If approved, Levin-Stankevich's chancellorship will be enacted no later than July 1, 2006.
