Next UW-Whitewater chancellor brings extensive background in enrollment management, student affairs
The University of Wisconsin System hired a new chancellor for UW-Whitewater in what many hope will end a years-long trend of unstable leadership at the southern Wisconsin institution.
The UW Board of Regents unanimously approved Corey King as the next UW-Whitewater chancellor in a closed-door meeting Thursday. He will start March 1 and earn $265,000 annually.
King has served as the vice chancellor for inclusivity and student affairs at UW-Green Bay since 2020. His background also includes leadership positions at at Bethune-Cookman University, Florida Atlantic University, East Carolina University, Wheeling Jesuit University, and the University of Florida, according to King's resume.
“Corey King’s vision for UW-Whitewater and commitment to student success is extraordinary,” UW System President Jay Rothman said in a statement. “He’ll put student learning at the center of his work at UW-Whitewater, and we are looking forward to where his talents can take the university.”
King's appointment comes after a string of leadership shake-ups at the 10,500-student university dating back to 2018. In that year, Chancellor Beverly Kopper resigned after a UW System investigation found her husband had sexually harassed students and university employees. Kopper's husband denied the allegations.
Kopper's successor, Dwight Watson, started in 2019 and resigned about two years later because of a cancer diagnosis.
The UW System then named a former UW System administrator, Jim Henderson, to serve as interim chancellor until a permanent hire was made. Henderson resigned last spring before a search had even started. He cited several issues with how the UW System managed campuses, with his breaking point being a free speech survey launched despite his and other chancellors' objections.
The UW System tapped John Chenoweth to be the next interim chancellor. He was a finalist in the chancellor search.
Other finalists in the search were Lynn Akey, the vice president of student success at Minnesota State University, Mankato; Paul Plotkowski, engineering dean at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Mich.; and Mrinal Mugdh Varma, provost at Auburn University at Montgomery.
Contact Kelly Meyerhofer at kmeyerhofer@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KellyMeyerhofer.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Corey King named next UW-Whitewater chancellor
