45 days in, UW-Whitewater chancellor offers impressions, plans

By Kim McDarison

A large man with a warm smile, Chancellor Corey King wasted no time Thursday engaging with his audience as he introduced himself to members of the Greater Whitewater Committee (GWC) during the group’s monthly meeting. 

Rounding the meeting table, he offered a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater refrigerator magnet to all those in attendance and a UW-Whitewater bumper sticker to anyone who was a member of the school’s alumni. 

Returning to his seat, he centered his comments on the university’s condition and future, touching on such topics as the institution’s developing five-year strategic plan, challenges brought both to the UW-Whitewater and UW system by declining enrollments, and plans to further embrace concepts of inclusivity, equity and diversity, among others.  

Sharing some biographical information about King, GWC member Jeff Knight noted that the 18th chancellor of UW-Whitewater has previously serviced as vice chancellor for Inclusivity and Student Affairs at UW-Green Bay; vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Financial Services at Bethune-Cookman University, Florida; vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Florida Atlantic University, and has led the Council for Student Affairs of the State University System of Florida. King also has held leadership positions at East Carolina University, Wheeling Jesuit University, and the University of Florida.

King opened his presentation by telling committee members that Whitewater was the first place in his 30-year career in higher education where he had received such a full and warm welcome. He said he receiving flowers, candy and cards from members of the community. 

The reception brought him a feeling of “genuine love,” he said. 

King said he is closing on a home he has purchased in Whitewater at the end of this month. 

Thursday marked his 45th day serving as the chancellor at UW-Whitewater, and in that time, he said, “a lot has gone on.” he stated that he had attended some 175 meetings and programs. 

Offering some personal information, King said he liked to bake, adding that he had shared that information in an introductory email he sent to the university’s broader community. In return, he said, he received nearly 100 recipes, each with a story, adding that they brought an insightful weekend of reading. 

In his role as chancellor, King enumerated his most immediate priorities, including the development of a 2023-2028 five-year strategic plan for the university, which, he said, would focus on the university’s commitment to academic excellence, with a continued goal of making UW-Whitewater a university of distinction, with further focus on “collaboration and co-curricular experiences outside of the classroom,” along with a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusivity. 

In addition, he said, a goal is to focus on cultural collaboration, which, he said, would include: “talking about how we, as an institution, can move beyond our silos to really look at how we can collaborate.” 

He offered his thanks to former interim Chancellor John Chenoweth, saying: “I just want to applaud him. He has been a yeoman in this process and has guided me in this transition and is now serving gracefully as our provost.”   

King said Chenoweth was instrumental in guiding the university’s strategic plan, assisted by some 40-50 people whom he described as “engaged in the process, so it’s university-wide.” 

King next cited the university’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, saying: “The university does an incredible job in terms of our colleges, departments and offices in this space. We are just reimagining what that looks like at the university level. So, for me, when you talk about diversity, and you talk about equity and inclusion, I am reimagining the university to really try and focus on inclusivity, and inclusivity, to me, means you’re not just talking about race, and gender, and special orientations or sexual preference, we are talking about students or staff and faculty … to be a Democrat or Republican or Independent, regardless of your walk of life, to be able to share your ideas in the spirit of understanding in mutual agreement, and when I say mutual agreement, there are three ways to agree, right? No. 1: you agree to agree; No. 2: we agree to disagree, and No. 3: we agree that we need to learn more, right? We need to understand. So we want to create that type of environment and we need to have that type of conversation.” 

King next talked about enrollment. 

“We are challenged by our enrollment, and, again, I don’t want to minimize that we are at a stage where all of our institutions in the UW system are being challenged by enrollments,” he said.  

Citing numbers developed using “Fall Semester 10th Day Enrollment” headcount, King said there has been a decline in full-time enrollments. 

A chart, shared by King, showed that enrollments, beginning in the 2013-14 school year, were at 12,015, and showed gains over the years to 13,059, achieved during the 2018-19 school year, but enrollments have since dropped annually, and were calculated at 11,087 during this, the 2022-23 school year. 

Looking at the declines, King said: “We have to be more assertive and more aggressive in terms of the markets in which we go after, and how we develop a program, and how we create pathways for enrollment growth, not only as traditional, but also in online services, adult learners, transfer students, these multiple pathways.” 

Additionally, King said, the university needed to focus on “our freshmen and sophomore experience.” 

Traditionally, a focus had been placed on the freshmen experience, but, he said, focus needed to extend into the sophomore experience as well. 

“We find that students will stay once they get into their junior year and begin that capstone experience,” he said.  

Finances, too, were among topics of focus, King said. 

“We are facing a structural deficit, but it’s a structural budget deficit,” he said, adding, it was “not necessarily a structural expense deficit.” 

Said King: “That means that we got to get in front of the budget to see where we are budgeting, and what those opportunities are. I don’t want to use the word ‘cut,’ I want to use the words ‘continuous improvement,’ because whether you have one million dollars or whether you have one dollar, you should always be spending that money efficiently and effectively. So let’s talk about continuous improvement.” 

King counted “community-campus engagement” among his priorities, saying that he wanted to engage with the campus and the community “to listen, and to hear the love, the passion, the growth … for the institution.” 

Citing his belief is shared governance, he said the concept was strengthened on campus through its cabinet, administrative councils, student governments, and university support and academic staff, and their participation in community boards and governance groups. 

King also spoke about investments made through the identification of niche opportunities at the university’s Rock County campus. He pointed to a developing nursing program offered at the Rock County campus as an example. 

Information technology also is among ideas in need of investment, he said. 

“Our infrastructure, how we have a platform for technology on our campus is important. We have to make sure that our technology keeps up with the 21st Century and beyond — especially with our young students and, of course, for our faculty and staff in their work, and so, we’ve begun to now reimagine our information technology space, and think about it in terms of innovation, transformation and compliance,” he said. 

Questions from GWC members

During the meeting, King fielded questions from committee members. 

Knight, revisiting enrollment numbers, asked about future projections. 

King said five years ago, enrollments were at approximately 12,400 students. Today, some 11,100 students are enrolled. Still, he said, other statistics indicate that the numbers are poised to increase, noting that university applications are increasing, as are applicants who are being admitted, and, he said, two “touch points,” also used as enrollment indicators, such as the number of signups for orientation programing and student housing, are both on the rise.

GWC member Larry Kachel asked if numbers could be defined in terms of undergraduate and graduate enrollments. 

He said he believed undergraduates were more likely to be studying at the university in person while graduate students often used online options. 

King said that of the 11,100 enrollments he spoke about earlier, approximately 9,000 represented undergraduate students and about 2,000 represented graduate students.  

A committee member, citing the new nursing program offered at the Rock County campus, asked when the chancellor predicted it could be expanded. 

Said King: “We are not there yet. We’ve got about 20 to 25 students who have raised their hand. Fourteen have pushed the button.”

Knight asked about a potential to engage with state legislators about securing money in the upcoming two-year state budget cycle to address proposed renovations of Winther Hall, an aging classroom building on the Whitewater campus.  

Knight said he had learned that discussions had taken place among state representatives noting that the university was not yet ready to receive funding to proceed with a construction project.  

“What do you know about this whole process?” he asked. 

Said King: “That has been on the top of my agenda. I’m just going to be honest and authentic. We know what needs to be done.”

King described the building as in “horrible shape,” noting that students in wheelchairs “can’t get in and out of the place,” further describing students assisting fellow students in wheelchairs by carrying them out of the building when a fire alarm is activated.  

King said he believed there was support among legislators for the project, which is projected to cost $80 million. 

He said he believed some “miscommunication” regarding the university’s readiness to begin construction on the project has slowed the process. 

Said King: “We have begun the design phase, we have the money, $2 million, for that to happen. So we are at a point now where we are ready to go to the next level in that design phase in order to have shovels in the ground by May of 2026. If we don’t get funding in this biennium, that won’t happen. It will push the project out by another two years to probably 2028. So, for us, we’ve tried to clarify the misunderstanding that we are not ready. We’re ready.” 

Responding to additional questions about enrollment, King said he was excited about a new initiative called “direct admit,” which, he said, could potentially be offered to Whitewater High School students and “would remove the barriers of all of the processes to get into the institution.” 

He added that discussions were planned for that same day to discuss the program with the superintendent of the Whitewater Unified School District. 

Looking ahead, King said the university would be moving beyond traditional enrollments. 

“We already know those numbers are going to decline,” he said, noting that other opportunities  for enrollment are under development and would include building pathways for adult learners and transfer students, and an expansion of the university’s online presence.

“The focus, of course, is having the traditional students come, but with the knowledge that the number is going to decline and there’s nothing we can do about it; we’ve got to begin to think about those other pathways that speak to our enrollment and headcount,” he said.  

Interview with Fort Atkinson Online 

Responding to questions asked by Fort Atkinson Online, King said that he viewed the recently approved tuition hike affecting campuses across the UW system, including UW-Whitewater, as a benefit, noting that even with the modest tuition increase, UW-Whitewater remains the most affordable institution within the system. 

He noted that the increase will be used to enhance the quality of education for the university’s students, making them more marketable upon their graduation from the institution. King called the increase a “win-win.” 

Continuing the discussion about prioritizing increasing enrollments, and responding to questions about online learners, King said the program would be reimagined to attract adult learners, noting that the program could help alleviate barriers associated with work schedules and family obligations. These are students who may like to come back to school, but are not in a position to be in a classroom all day and every day, he said. 

He said the program would be less focused on traditional students who would benefit from in-person learning and living on or off campus. 

“We definitely want to continue to pipeline traditional students and bring more students in. Right now, we are on track to increase our enrollment in that space for fall 2023,” he said. 

Looking more closely at the future of the Rock County campus, King said that the two campuses, Rock County and Whitewater, have a structure that is congruent.  

“The leader at the Rock County campus is one of our deans of integrated study, and so that person is a part of the academic portfolio of our university and also sits on the chancellor’s cabinet. So that shows the importance of that campus to us. What we have to do, I believe, is to find it a niche: What are those unique academic programs and offerings that we can provide in that community that speaks to its growth and to whatever the market demands and all the needs?” King said, adding that recently a nursing program was identified and developed as part of the niche strategy. 

“I do believe that we will find other niches as we do a self-assessment of that campus as part of our strategic plan,” he said. 

Looking at financial changes on campus, and responding to questions regarding community engagement and programming, King said he was aware of challenges related to the Young Auditorium. 

He said the challenge for Young Auditorium was “getting back to a robust performance, performance art schedule. I am a champion of that space. I’ve actually been to a concert and so, for me, I do agree that performing art, athletics, those types of venues are imperative to our community engagement, you know especially with our alumni, our parents, our friends, community stakeholders. I do not see our financial challenges impeding upon our continued commitment to community engagement. What I do see is we have to focus on continuous improvement, we have to focus on enrollment growth, and we have to focus on creating more pathways for revenue to continue to do what we do in alignment with our mission,” he said.  

Elaborating on “direct admit,” King said the concept was a systemwide conversation, so it could one day be offered at multiple high schools, but, he said, as discussions began at the university level, looking at ways to roll the program out, there was a desire to try a pilot program. 

King said the university has traditionally and continues to draw many of its students from the northern Illinois and Milwaukee markets. 

He said students who grow up in Milwaukee are often looking for a new experience when it comes time for college. Whitewater offers the advantage of being “out of town,” but still close enough to stay connected to family. 

“I believe we just have to be more assertive and more intrusive in terms of sharing the value of a UW-Whitewater education.”  

King said that might entail billboard advertising and even a Whitewater bus. 

Additionally, he said, the university will embrace marketing efforts to appeal to students in Whitewater and the surrounding region. 

Whether a student is looking for a new experience away from home, or would like to stay nearby, but live on their own, King said Whitewater offers a quality education with a “great on-campus experience,” and, he said, “a lot of our housing and apartments that are off campus are literally right next door.” 

King said the majority of the students at UW-Whitewater live off campus. He said nearly 4,000 live on campus, leaving some 7,000 to 8,000 students who commute. The number includes students living off campus in the city of Whitewater. 

“The way the campus is set up, the community and the campus are one. For me, you can go two steps to the left, right, up or down, and you step into the community. And so there is this integration that you, to a point, this is my opinion, to a point that you really almost can’t tell the difference between where the university stops or begins, and I like that,” King said. 

Offering some information about himself, King said he is a native of Florida. He said he chose to pursue a career path that led him to Wisconsin for two reasons: the weather and the Wisconsin Idea. 

King described summers in Florida as too hot and humid for his liking.  He likes the walkability of Wisconsin in the warm-weather months, he said.  

Describing the Wisconsin Idea, he said, “That idea is that colleges and universities in the UW system, one of our primary missions is to be an impact, problem solver, critical thinker to our communities and our region. And the fact that UW-Whitewater has a half a billion dollar economic impact — $500 million of economic impact to the community — that speaks volumes to our mission and who we are as an institution. I mean the fact that we are the largest producer of teachers in the state, speaks to that, and 82% of our graduates in that space stay in Wisconsin. Fifty percent of them not only stay in Wisconsin but they work in rural areas, which is important to who we are and our mission. We have the number one college of business in the state; we have faculty members who are experts in their content disciplinary fields, and the best part, I tell you, we have a large majority of faculty and staff who are alumni of the institution, so there’s a genuine love for this place, and commitment to this place, that’s beyond — for many of them, it’s not a job, it’s a way of life — and I love it.” 

King said as a young man, he wanted to be a professional football player, and not for love of the game, he said, but because he wanted to make a million dollars.  

“That was the name of the game,” he said, but, he noted, “I had a couple of mentors along the way who really guided me to say, money is important, but at the end of the day, how do you feel about what you’ve done that day?” 

While he realized a career in education might not bring him monetary riches, he found riches, he said, “in terms of the intrinsic values and the feelings and the impact that I have, I go home satisfied.”  

Looking at the work ahead, King said it was important to him that he is able to help students find holistic growth and upward social mobility. 

“We want to make sure that when they depart, they have opportunities that their parents and grandparents didn’t have,” he said. 

A first-generation college student, King said he grew up in “a poor home.” 

After he graduated and started his own family, he was able to help his mother.  

“I was able to pay her utility bill because of social mobility, because of going to college and the opportunities that my parents did not have, that I was afforded, and so I was able — and we want our students to do it as well — I was able to reach back and bring forward,” he said.  

As a third goal, King said: “I want to create an environment for the university that talks to inclusivity. We have to be a place where we are sharing freedom of ideas, expressions, opinions, listening to each other, and either agreeing to agree, agreeing to disagree, or agreeing that we both need to learn more in that space.” 

Additionally, King, who is the father of two adult-aged children, said he loves to bake and play golf, and described himself as a man of strong faith. 

“And I do believe in giving back,” he said.