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BELLINGHAM - The Western Washington University Board of Trustees today identified Bruce Shepard, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, as the preferred candidate in their search for a new Western president.
Bruce Shepard, chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, has been named the preferred candidate for the position of president at Western Washington University.
WWU President Karen W. Morse announced Sept. 21 that she would be retiring as president of Western on Sept. 1, 2008. Morse is in her 15th year as president.
"Bruce Shepard is an exceptional leader and educator, with a forward-looking vision for higher education," said Kevin Raymond, chair of Western's Board of Trustees. "I hope the Western community will take advantage of the opportunities this week to get to know him."
Shepard is scheduled to visit Western's campus Thursday and Friday and to meet with various campus stakeholder groups, including students, faculty and staff. Open campus meetings also have been scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday and from 8 to 9:45 a.m. Friday, both in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room.
Shepard, who has served as chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay since 2001, said he and his wife, Cyndie, look forward to visiting Western this week.
"Cyndie and I are particularly excited by the opportunities presented at Western Washington University," he said. "We look forward to meeting as much of Western's community as possible this week and to learn much more about the University."
With the expectation that the Board of Trustees may wish to take further action on the preferred candidate, the trustees have scheduled a special meeting for 1 p.m. Friday, April 25. At this meeting, the trustees may name the next president of Western and authorize the execution of a satisfactory employment agreement.
Shepard was identified as the preferred candidate after a nationwide search and extensive review of candidates. Soon after President Morse announced her retirement, the trustees selected members of the university's Presidential Search Advisory Committee, chaired by Trustee Phil Sharpe. The committee, working with search consultant Greenwood & Associates, forwarded to the trustees 53 candidate applications, with the recommendation to take an especially close look at five candidates. All five are current presidents or chancellors at other higher education institutions. The trustees then interviewed those five candidates, leading to the identification of Shepard as the preferred candidate.
"The Board of Trustees identified Bruce Shepard as the preferred candidate based on the breadth of his experience, knowledge and vision for the future, and on what we perceive to be a great fit with Western's academic mission and campus community," Raymond said.
"On behalf of the board I want to express my deepest appreciation to the Search Advisory Board and its chair, Phil Sharpe, for the remarkable job they did. The Committee worked incredibly hard over many months, and the advice the Committee forwarded to the Board was extremely insightful and helpful." Raymond said.
Shepard assumed his duties as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on Nov. 1, 2001. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is in Green Bay, Wisc., has an enrollment of 6,111 students and is part of the University of Wisconsin System.
In his first few months on the job, Shepard met with more than 2,000 people on and off campus to get a sense of where the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay should be headed. Those meetings led to the development of Northeastern Wisconsin's Growth Agenda for the University, an ambitious plan to grow the University's enrollment and to better serve a dynamic, rapidly diversifying region.
Under Shepard's leadership, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay also has had unprecedented success in gaining private financial support. The Campaign for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay so far has raised more than $21 million, including $11 million for the Kress Events Center. The Kress Center, the University's renovated and expanded student sports, recreation and events center, was made possible by a unique partnership of students, the state of Wisconsin and community donors.
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's campus landscape has undergone a major transformation during Shepard's tenure as chancellor. In addition to the Kress Center, construction at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay during the past six years includes the overhaul of the Laboratory Sciences Building, University Union and Student Services area and three new residence halls.
Other major achievements and initiatives at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay under Shepard's leadership include:
- Development of the "Connecting learning to life" campuswide theme, a call to action consistent with Shepard's vision for the University.
- Regional partnerships with educational institutions, local governments and businesses, Native American tribes and community organizations.
- Creation and growth of the Phuture Phoenix Program, an innovative program that encourages at-risk youngsters to stay in school and go on to higher education. Phuture Phoenix, co-founded and directed by Cyndie Shepard, has received state and national recognition as a model for university/community collaboration and innovative practices for diversity.
- A commitment to diversifying the University community. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's enrollment of students of color has increased nearly 40 percent since 2001.
- A recommitment to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's tradition related to sustainability and environmental awareness. The University is one of four campuses selected to pilot a promising energy-independence initiative.
Shepard came to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay from Eastern Oregon University, where he served as provost and also was a professor of political science. Prior to joining EOU, Shepard spent 23 years at Oregon State University, earning tenure as a faculty member in the Department of Political Science before moving into university administration.
Shepard's academic background includes bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of California, Riverside. His scholarship and teaching focuses on American government, public policy and policy analysis, research methods, and environmental and natural resource politics and policy. He has published widely and is active in numerous professional and community organizations locally and nationally.
A native of California, Shepard is an avid sailor. He and Cyndie have one son, Paul.
A full biography of Bruce Shepard is available at http://www.uwgb.edu/chancellor/profile.htm .
A full description of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is available at: http://www.uwgb.edu/univcomm/campus/profile.htm. For more information on the presidential search, go to http://www.wwu.edu/presidentsearch/.
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