WHITEWATER 鈥 The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents has chosen Corey King to be the next chancellor at UW-Whitewater.
King, the current vice chancellor for inclusivity and student affairs at UW-Green Bay, will take the position March 1, the Regents announced on Thursday.
The Regents鈥 decision was unanimous. King will earn $265,000 a year.
鈥淚 am excited to join the faculty, staff, students and broader community as we continue to advance UW-Whitewater鈥檚 mission of being a 鈥榩reeminent academic institution driven by the pursuit of knowledge, powered by a spirit of innovation, and focused on transforming lives,鈥欌 King said in a statement. 鈥淭he university鈥檚 demonstrated commitment to student success and excellent educational experiences at both the Whitewater and Rock County campuses will continue to be our driving force.鈥
Prior to his current position at UW-Green Bay, King was vice president of enrollment management and student financial services at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. He also previously served as vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Florida Atlantic University and led the University System of Florida Council for Student Affairs. King also has had roles at East Carolina University, Wheeling Jesuit University and the University of Florida.
In a statement Thursday, UW System President Jay Rothman said King鈥檚 vision for the university and commitment to student success is 鈥渆xtraordinary.鈥
鈥淗e鈥檒l 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,鈥 Rothman said.
King has a bachelor鈥檚 degree in curriculum and instruction and a master鈥檚 degree in higher education administration-student affairs from Florida State University. He also has a doctorate in education administration and leadership from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
The chancellor鈥檚 office at UW-Whitewater has been a revolving door in recent years.
In 2018, then-Chancellor Beverly Kopper resigned after her husband was banned from campus due to sexual harassment allegations.
Then-UW System President Ray Cross picked UW-Oshkosh Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cheryl Green as interim chancellor in December 2018. The Board of Regents chose Dwight Watson to be chancellor in 2019; he resigned in June 2021 after being diagnosed with cancer.
After Watson鈥檚 resignation, then-UW System President Tommy Thompson appointed UW System Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs Jim Henderson as interim chancellor. Henderson resigned last April after frustration over plans to survey UW System students about thoughts on free speech. Since then, Whitewater Provost John Chenoweth has served as the interim chancellor.
King and Chenoweth were two of the five finalists named in November. Also in the running were Minnesota State University-Mankato Vice President for Student Success, Analytics and Integrated Planning Lynn Akey; Paul Plotkowski, a dean and professor in the Padnos College of Engineering and Computing at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Mrinal Mugdh Varma, the provost and senior vice chancellor at Auburn University at Montgomery in Montgomery, Alabama.
Nass critical of choice聽
In a release Thursday, State Sen. Steve Nass, (R-Whitewater) criticized the choice, calling it a "missed opportunity," and expressing concern that the Board of Regents appointed King based on his "unusual聽liberal agenda of inclusivity, diversity and social justice activism."
鈥淭he selection of Dr. Corey King as the next Chancellor at UW-Whitewater is a missed opportunity by the Board of Regents to address the serious financial and academic performance issues that greatly challenge the future of the campus," Nass,聽 a聽member of the Senate Committee on Universities and Revenue, wrote in the release.
"The Board of Regents, now controlled by appointees of Gov. Tony Evers, made this selection because of Mr. King鈥檚 focus on the usual liberal agenda of inclusivity, diversity and social justice activism.聽 I can assure everyone that UW-Whitewater already has plenty of social justice warriors embedded as administrators and faculty," Nass wrote. "It is unfortunate that other finalists were available with much stronger backgrounds and experiences that would better address the challenges impacting the campus. In my opinion, we needed a chancellor that values and is willing to fight for students receiving a high quality education, not further indoctrination.鈥
UPDATE: This story was corrected Monday, Jan. 23, to show Corey King was one of five finalists for the UW-Whitewater chancellorship. Mrinal Mugdh Varma was previously omitted from the list.