Media statements regarding the announcement of interim chancellor at UW-Green Bay

Interim Chancellor Sheryl Van Gruensven

Green Bay, Wis.—Earlier today, UW System President Ray Cross named Sheryl L. Van Gruensven as the interim chancellor of UW-Green Bay. Van Gruensven is UW-Green Bay’s current vice chancellor for business and finance and has served in numerous roles at UW-Green Bay. Van Gruensven will replace Gary L. Miller, effective Sept. 30, 2019, who is stepping down to become president of the University of Akron.

Statements to the media regarding the appointment:

From Chancellor Gary L. Miller:

“I am extremely pleased and excited by President Cross’ decision to appoint Sheryl as interim chancellor of the University. She has played a major part in every aspect of the transformation we have undertaken at Green Bay over the past five years. Sheryl is responsible for developing the strategy to put us into a stable financial position after years of enrollment declines. She was fully involved in the development of our engineering proposals, the new mission and the expansion of our academic portfolio. Her work at the System level is highly respected and her opinion sought. She is the right person to lead the university during this period of transition.”

From Sheryl Van Gruensven:

“It is an honor to be named as the interim chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay,” said Sheryl Van Gruensven. “I thank Chancellor Miller for his leadership in transforming the University over the last five years, and for leadership from faculty, staff and students as we move this exceptional University forward. Through close collaboration with faculty, staff and students, we will continue to carry out the mission and vision which have led to four consecutive years of enrollment growth, increased academic offerings and an improved and sound financial footing.

I commit to work collaboratively with the UW Board of Regents, President Cross, the UW-Green Bay Council of Trustees, our newly expanded region in Northeast Wisconsin and the University community to offer any assistance needed for finding the next permanent chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.”

Van Gruensven will be available for interview/comments from 2 to 3 p.m. today, Thursday, August 29, 2019. Please make arrangements via Director of Media Relations, Sue Bodilly, bodillys@uwgb.edu or 920-465-5502.

Press Release from the UW System

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2019

Cross names Sheryl L. Van Gruensven as interim chancellor of UW-Green Bay

MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross has named Sheryl L. Van Gruensven as the interim chancellor of UW-Green Bay. Van Gruensven is the institution’s vice chancellor for business and finance and has served in numerous roles at UW-Green Bay.

“Sheryl is a well-regarded administrator and budget and finance specialist,” Cross said. “She has my full confidence to lead UW-Green Bay in the coming months.”

Prior to being named vice chancellor for business and finance in 2016, Van Gruensven had served in that role as an interim. She was UW-Green Bay’s director of human resources starting in 2005. She joined the institution in 2004.

The vice chancellor for business and finance is the institution’s lead administrator for budgeting, accounting, and fiscal control. The position oversees about 175 employees and a range of business operations and services, including budget, information technology, buildings and grounds, facilities planning, financial services, purchasing, risk management, human resources, and university police.

Van Gruensven has led UW-Green Bay’s efforts to create a new incentive-based budget model, eliminate a $3-million structural deficit while investing in key areas that have resulted in a fourth straight year of enrollment growth, and incorporate a new budgeting system and new services at the two-year campuses. Van Gruensven will replace Gary L. Miller effective Oct. 1. Miller is stepping down to become president of the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio.

The membership of the Search and Screen Committee and the Special Regent Committee will be named soon.

Van Gruensven, who will not be a candidate for the permanent position, is well-regarded in the Green Bay community, on campus, and among the institution’s Council of Trustees. She is co-founder and co-leader of the Women’s Leadership group at UW-Green Bay and a board member of the Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes Council.

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The University of Wisconsin System serves more than 170,000 students. Awarding nearly 37,000 degrees annually, the UW System is Wisconsin’s talent pipeline, putting graduates in position to increase their earning power, contribute to their communities, and make Wisconsin a better place to live. More than 80 percent of in-state UW System graduates stay in Wisconsin five years after earning a degree. The UW System provides a 23:1 return on state investment. UW System institutions also contribute to the richness of Wisconsin’s culture and economy with groundbreaking research, new companies and patents, and boundless creative intellectual energy.