When it
rains, it pours for the University of Wisconsin System, which now has open
chancellor positions at more than one-third of its four-year schools.

UW-Green Bay
Chancellor Bruce Shepard announced Wednesday he is the preferred candidate to
be the next president of Western Washington University, according to a
statement released by the UW System.

Shepard will
be the fifth chancellor of 14 UW System four-year schools to leave his position
this year and the second this month. Chancellor Don Betz of UW-River Falls
announced his resignation April 8.

The UW
System currently has searches in progress to fill the chancellor positions at
UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater and UW-Eau Claire, but UW System President Kevin
Reilly will appoint an interim chancellor for UW-Green Bay until a search
committee can be established.

Board of
Regents member and UW-Madison student Colleene Thomas said an interim
chancellor will be appointed because there is not enough time to go through the
search process before the next school year.

According to
UW System spokesperson David Giroux, each chancellor has chosen to leave their
position for very different reasons. Giroux said many are seeking opportunities
to advance in their careers.

Thomas said
some chancellors are leaving for retirement, and she expects to see more
leaders, not just in higher education, leave over the next two years as the baby
boomers continue to reach retirement age. Compensation is also very important
for faculty retention, she said.

“I think we
would be fools not to talk about compensation with the current chancellor
exodus,” Thomas said. “In reality, [the salaries UW chancellors make] are
pretty low compared to what they could make elsewhere. As long as we continue
to make our wages below that of our peers, we are going to continue to see
chancellors leave.”

Giroux said
the number of open positions should not have much affect on those applying to
take the role of chancellor at these institutions. He said those applying for
leadership positions in higher education understand there are many different
reasons people leave.

UW
institutions still need continuity, though, because “everyone benefits from
leaders who stay in place for more than just a few years,” Thomas said.

“We are
seeing people who are leaving after two or three years, and that really
diminishes the life of the institution because each chancellor has a different
way of doing things,” Thomas said.