How would you describe your first two months on the job?
Everything has been wonderful so far, but nothing compares to the joy of having the students come back for classes. This is such a welcoming campus, and the surrounding community is so proud of its university. The team here has done a great job bringing me up to speed on all things UW-Eau Claire, and it’s been wonderful to meet so many teams from across the campus. Everyone is committed to putting students first and maintaining our standard of excellence in teaching, research and student support. When I leave my office each day and get to walk across Wisconsin’s most beautiful campus, I truly feel that I am doing my dream job.
Tell us about your interest in history as both a student and a teacher. What places and time periods are your greatest interests?
All my degrees are in American studies, which is basically the interdisciplinary study of American culture. So, I’m primarily trained as a historian, but to get to know American culture and society is really an interdisciplinary undertaking. I’ve been fortunate to be able to study not only history, but literature, film, political science and more to gain insights on our society, and I find that’s an endless source of fascination. I made my living as a professional historian studying the 1960s-70s, specifically the Vietnam War era. As I get older, I find I’m more interested in sweeping, global histories and how all the pieces fit together, and the Vietnam War era is really interesting from that global, interdisciplinary standpoint.
Describe your own college experience as a student and athlete in California. How does looking back at those times shape your approach to taking on this chancellor role?
A long time ago, I was a Division III student-athlete on the Pitzer College soccer team. I have a lot of fun memories from those days, and I’m excited to be on a campus with such a strong tradition in DIII athletics — I believe really strongly in the DIII mission. These athletes are really students first, and I’ve seen the way being on a team can build strong connections and a sense of belonging. That kind of high-impact engagement helps drive academic excellence and supports students’ well-being. But I know it was challenging, back when I was a student-athlete, to balance the different pressures — practice time, working out, finding time to eat and engage and have a social life, all on top of academic work. It’s even more challenging now, and while that can help you learn to prioritize and juggle all the things in your life, I also hear student-athletes saying that institutional support is really critical to help them balance everything. Participating in athletics, like other high-impact engagement opportunities, is great life preparation, but also reminds me of all the demands today’s students have to juggle.
Rumor has it you’re a musical guy — talk about what instruments you play, your favorite genres of music and the role music has played in your life.
I do play a few musical instruments, though I don’t play any of them particularly well. I’m kind of like a utility infielder; like, I could play third base, but you probably don’t want to start me at third base if you can help it. I grew up playing piano and taking lessons, but everything else was self-taught. I picked up how to play the drums, play the guitar, play a little banjo, and I’ve been in a couple bands throughout my life. But the greatest joy I get from music is playing it with my kids, because both are musicians, and we’ve done open mics together before. As far as my musical tastes go, I love all kinds of music — though my kids would accurately describe my “go-to” songs as “Dad Rock.” Some of my favorite music is from Jason Isbell, but I also really love Bruce Springsteen, the Indigo Girls, Wilco, Bob Dylan, and — growing up in Minneapolis — Prince. Most recently, I’ve been going back to new music from Phoebe Bridgers. It’s great to be in a community with such a rich music scene, and to learn so many of my favorite artists have played here.
Now that you’ve been in Eau Claire for a couple months, what places, activities or events have stood out for you thus far?
We have loved so many parts of Eau Claire — I’m glad you didn’t ask me to try to pick a favorite. We live near the river trail, so we love walking along the river and being downtown. The farmers market, Putnam Park, Leona’s Pizzeria, Revival Records, The Brewing Projekt, Lazy Monk … this is such a connected community with so many great people. It’s great to come to know places that people here have loved for a long time.
As you settle into this position at a new campus, what do you most want Blugold students to understand about you and your approach to this job?
I would love students to engage me early and often — saying “hi” when they see me out and about, asking to take a selfie, or following @uwecchancellor on Instagram to keep up with me and share what they’re up to. I really want to hear students’ stories, and learn what’s working and what can be enhanced, about this special university. As a leader, the values that guide my decision making are transparency, collaboration and relationships built on trust. I find that, even if we have to make hard decisions, starting from a place of trust and open communication helps us make better decisions. I hope students know the feedback they share with our staff and faculty helps the whole university improve, and that their active participation in their residence halls, classes, student organizations and teams has an impact on the campus everyone experiences here. I’m looking forward to meeting more Blugolds in the months ahead and hearing more stories about why they chose UW-Eau Claire.
What do you hope happens at UW-Eau Claire across your time as chancellor?
Growing up in the Twin Cities area, I knew about UW-Eau Claire’s great reputation for academic excellence, and it’s a real honor to be a part of strengthening the educational opportunities we provide for future students. I think this university is going to keep innovating and reimagining what higher education looks like in the 21st century to continue serving our students and our region well. Every day, I get to be surrounded by students engaged in learning and exploration, by faculty dedicated to producing and disseminating knowledge, and staff who are passionate about supporting our students and driving our mission. With a committed team like this, and a daily focus on what’s best for our students, I know we’ll innovate to meet the conditions before us. UW-Eau Claire of the future is going to have new and stronger partnerships in the community; it’s going to have faculty, staff and students who have a strong sense of belonging; and we’re going to be so embedded with our community partners that we naturally work together to move our region forward. I hope we’ll look back on these years as a time we collaborated to safeguard and enhance our tradition of excellence.
