Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership

Beyond the management of a complex academic enterprise, the next chancellor of UW-Platteville will be encouraged to place a particular emphasis on several strategic imperatives that will continue to strengthen the university and add value to its students, faculty, staff, and community.

Strategic planning: Shepherd UW-Platteville through the last stages of its current strategic plan (2019–24) and guide development of the next plan. The current plan was developed through an inclusive process involving a significant portion of campus constituents. The three goals of the current strategic plan are:

Goal 1: Foster Transformative Education

Foster transformative education by creating a community that values and supports all members in their pursuit of lifelong learning.

Goal 2: Increase Access

Increase the accessibility and affordability of a

UW-Platteville education through recruitment and financial strategies that support students’ pursuit of their goals.

Goal 3: Invest in our Future

Deliver operational excellence through innovative investments and strategic use of resources. Strategic enrollment: Guide strategic enrollment management for all stages of the student lifecycle, including recruitment, enrollment, and student success and retention. This includes branch campuses, online programs, and graduate programs. After reaching record-setting enrollment in 2015, UW-Platteville has experienced enrollment declines in recent years, which is consistent with both regional and national trends and driven by changing demographics in the tri-state region. However, preliminary fall 2022 enrollment estimates included a 13% increase in the new freshman class, signaling a positive improvement in recruitment. The new chancellor will build on this momentum and ensure sustainable enrollment levels. Resource management: Build and steward UWPlatteville’s resources. In recent years, budget deficits, a statewide tuition freeze, the COVID-19 pandemic, and declining enrollment have all made it imperative that UW-Platteville’s chancellor be strategic and resolute in the actions taken to strengthen the university’s financial position. This includes increasing revenue sources, through grants, philanthropy, and other opportunities. For the past three consecutive years, the UW-Platteville Foundation has achieved record donations. Last fiscal year also marked the largest gift in the Foundation’s history—a gift of $10 million. The chancellor will build on the UW-Platteville Foundation’s recent momentum in fundraising and help continue to instill a culture of philanthropy. Advocacy: Serve as UW-Platteville’s “champion” in outreach and advocacy. The chancellor is looked to as the “face and voice” of UW-Platteville in representing its interests to external partners. The university’s success in building its reputation and resources is directly impacted by the effectiveness of its external advocacy and communications—with the legislature, the Governor and state administration, the UW President and Board of Regents, the private sector, donors, and leaders in the tri-state region and beyond. This outreach will need to be further intensified in the future, as public resources become tighter and the expectations of these external stakeholders become sharper. The next chancellor will need to convey to all stakeholders a clear and enthusiastic personal embrace of UW-Platteville. The chancellor must be able to navigate the Wisconsin political landscape and build positive working relationships with elected officials and community/business leaders. The chancellor must build strong partnerships with city and regional constituents and work with them to manage healthy physical and economic growth.

Engagement: Strengthen relationships, trust, and respect with key internal UW-Platteville constituents. While the external role of the chancellor is critical, they must be attentive to the university’s internal communities and convey a visible commitment to building a transparent, holistic culture that unites students, faculty, staff, and other governance units in support of the common mission of ensuring UWPlatteville’s future success. The chancellor will invest appropriate personal energy into building positive relationships with key campus constituents, including faculty, staff, and students. The campus culture of UW-Platteville prizes a leader who is visible, accessible, engaged, and outgoing and who personally engages in efforts to foster school pride. The chancellor should establish personal/professional credibility by reaching out to understand faculty/ staff needs and expectations, demonstrating a keen appreciation for shared governance, and implementing proper planning and communication protocols that strengthen this partnership on an ongoing basis. The new chancellor will want to take genuine steps to align all constituents behind the plans for the university’s future successes. Finally, the chancellor will also be expected to build a high-performing senior leadership team that exemplifies a culture of mutual support where leaders share an interest in the positive wellbeing of the entire university that extends beyond his/ her immediate areas of responsibility.