KENOSHA — Dr. John W. “Jack” Miller, professor and dean of the College of Education at Florida State University, was today named the 13th chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, effective July 1.
The appointment was made by the UW System Board of Regents during its meeting at UW-Parkside. The Board acted on the recommendation of a Special Regents Committee and UW System President Katharine Lyall, who interviewed Miller and other finalists April 28 in Madison.
Miller, 51, will succeed H. Gaylon Greenhill, who is retiring in June after eight years as chancellor and a total of 37 years of service to UW-Whitewater as a faculty member and administrator.
In announcing the appointment, Lyall emphasized Miller’s 13 years experience as a dean of education, his success raising private contributions, his familiarity with campus governance issues, and his appreciation for two high priorities in the UW System: instructional technology and international education. He has also presented and published widely on a variety of topics in education.
“Dr. Miller is an especially good fit for UW-Whitewater,” said Lyall, “given its historic origins as one of the first state teachers colleges. His success as a teacher and administrator, at both strong regional universities and a major research university, will prove extremely useful as he works to help position UW-Whitewater for the future. I look forward to working with him.”
Miller has been at Florida State since 1993. The college includes nine departments, 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students, and 140 faculty. Prior to that, from 1986 to 1993, he was professor and dean of the College of Education at Georgia Southern University.
From 1974 to 1986, Miller was at Wichita State University as an assistant/associate professor, program director and, for the last six years, professor and associate dean of education. Earlier in his career, he was a public school teacher in Chicago and Indiana.
Miller’s academic background includes a B.S. degree in journalism from Ohio University (1969), an M.S. degree in education from Northern Illinois University (1972) and a Ph.D. degree in education from Purdue University (1975).
Miller is a native of Chicago. He and his wife, Barbara Miller, have three grown children: Lauren, Elizabeth and Raymond.
Regent Ruth Marcene James, Fennimore, served as chair of the Special Regents Committee for the UW-Whitewater chancellor search. Other members included Regents Virginia MacNeil, Bayside; Patrick Boyle, Madison; and Guy Gottschalk, Wisconsin Rapids.
A 17-member campus-community search and screen committee, chaired by Donald Sorensen, an associate professor in the Department of Finance and Business Law at UW-Whitewater, forwarded the names of four finalists to President Lyall on April 12. All four visited the campus separately prior to their final interviews on April 28.
UW-Whitewater was founded in 1868 and is currently the second largest comprehensive campus in the 15-institution UW System. It enrolls more than 10,600 undergraduate and graduate students, has 1,000 total full-time equivalent staff, and an operating budget of approximately $110 million annually. The campus consists of 391 acres and 55 academic and student-life buildings.
Contact:
Kevin Boatright
(608) 263-222