Search Committee Taps Senior Officer At Winona State As UW-Eau Claire Chancellor

After an eight month search the, the University of Wisconsin (UW) System has recommended a new Chancellor for UW-Eau Claire: Dr. James Schmidt.

Schmidt is currently the vice president of university advancement at Winona State University in Minnesota, and if approved by the Board of Regents would take the helm in Eau Claire this July.

Schmidt says one of the biggest challenges facing UW-Eau Claire and all of public higher education is the dwindling support from state governments, pointing out that when he was enrolled, states were picking up 80 percent of the cost of his education. He says now states are only paying around 20 percent.

“How can our generation in good faith – having taken and accepted that great education we received – how can we expect less for our children and future generations of children? I believe we can’t.”

Schmidt says he looks forward to changing state and national dialogue about the public good created by investment in public universities like UW-Eau Claire, while at the same time fostering partnerships in the private sector.