Gilles Bousquet (pronounced "zheel boo-SKAY") began serving as UW-Eau Claire’s interim chancellor on July 16, 2012. Bousquet joined UW-Eau Claire following the departure of Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich in May 2012. Levin-Stankevich had served as chancellor since 2006.

In April 2013, the UW System Board of Regents confirmed Dr. James C. Schmidt as UW-Eau Claire's next chancellor. (See UW-Eau Claire news release.) Schmidt, vice president for university advancement at Winona State University and executive director of the WSU Foundation board of trustees, will begin his role as UW-Eau Claire chancellor in July.