Excitement, relief, anticipation over new chancellor
“Wait ‘til the new chancellor gets here.” It’s been echoed across the UCD campuses for nearly a year, an unofficial mantra and the answer to many a query for action.
The waiting is over, and hope has arrived with the announcement of M. Roy Wilson as the second chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver.
“He impressed me much more than the other candidates,” President Hank Brown told the downtown Denver campus during an open forum. Brown chose Wilson as the lone finalist for the position. “He is a visionary human being with goals that will shape where we are heading.”
Provost Mark Heckler notes, “Dr. Wilson brings a wealth of experience to UCD as a scholar and leader of international renown. His early insights into the needs of and strategic direction for the downtown campus bode well for our future.”
“I firmly believe that Dr. Wilson will move the institution toward the prominence and distinction we envisioned during our academic master planning process,” Heckler stressed. “We can also expect UCD to become one institution under his capable leadership.”
Many faculty also look forward to the direction Wilson will provide. “I’m ecstatic that we’ve brought him on,” said Mary Coussons-Read, outgoing president of Faculty Assembly. “He has a history of being collaborative and transformational. Dr. Wilson will be a wonderful force in helping the faculty of the new university to move forward into a true consolidation. I think he sees that as his mandate.”
Staff Council co-chair Sue Sethney raised concerns at an April meeting about the combining Staff Councils and incorporating CU Peers. However, CU Peers president Hilary Bruce was optimistic. “The exempt professional staff is pleased with the selection of Dr. Wilson for the position of chancellor. “Dr. Wilson's leadership experience and his expressed interest in transitional situations make him a great fit. We look forward to a positive, collaborative working relationship.”
Although the chancellor officially begins July 1, he’s already getting to know us. “He’s visiting our campuses regularly, so he can hit the ground running,” explains Debbie Wangerin, assistant to the chancellor. “We've provided Dr. Wilson with information about structure, programs, important meetings, important relationships, complexities, etc.; he will also attend the Regents' budget retreat early in June.”
The chancellor’s office, Wangerin notes, will remain on the 14th Floor of the Lawrence Street Center.
Wilson was unanimously approved as chancellor by the Board of Regents after being named the sole finalist by University of Colorado president Hank Brown, two days of campus interviews with faculty, students, staff and community members, and follow-up interviews in early April.
Wilson, who comes from the four-campus Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center where he has served as president since 2003, as part of a five-year contract ending June 30, 2011. He will more 28,000 degree-seeking, online, continuing education and certificate program students, and 8,118 employees, including 5,376 faculty. He succeeds former UCD Chancellor James Shore, who retired in December 2005.