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Dr. Louisa Rice appointed interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs

| Gary Johnson

Dr. Louisa Rice, professor and chair of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s history department, has been named the university’s interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Provost Patricia Kleine announced that effective Jan. 18, 2022, Rice will replace Dr. Michael Carney, who became UW-Eau Claire’s assistant chancellor for strategic partnerships and program development in October.

Louisa Rice headshot

Dr. Louisa Rice

Academic Affairs is finalizing a strategic plan for the division and establishing links within its plan with the UW-Eau Claire and equity, diversity and inclusion strategic plans, Kleine says. Rice will play an integral role in the completion of the strategic plan, and the implementation and assessment of it.

“Dr. Louisa Rice has significant experience in both working on universitywide planning initiatives and, equally important, divisionwide programs,” Kleine says. “She is well respected by her department peers as their department chair and by other department chairs inside the College of Arts and Sciences and across the other colleges. She has had a keen interest in helping the division of Academic Affairs work collaboratively with the other divisions and believes the university is strongest when all divisions work closely together.”

Rice says UW-Eau Claire cannot fully serve and retain its students or enhance the work and lives of faculty and staff without collaboration across disciplines, colleges and divisions.

“I’m fortunate to have had experience working with many of the excellent high-impact programs that are housed in Academic Affairs, and I’m looking forward to promoting a collaborative environment where students, faculty and staff can thrive,” Rice says.

Rice has been at UW-Eau Claire since 2009. She was director of the UW-Eau Claire First Year Experience program from 2015-17 and has served as chair of the history department since 2018. She also has been an active contributing member of the University Planning Committee.

Rice received a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Nottingham (U.K.), a master’s degree in history from UW-Milwaukee and a doctorate in history from Rutgers University.