The UW System may consider changes to its selection process for new chancellors. That's after incoming UW-Parkside Chancellor Robert Fellner stepped down last month, when it was revealed a federal investigation was underway at his old campus.
UW officials have already launched an investigation into why that information wasn't known. System spokesman David Giroux says there are three areas that have already been identified for possible improvements.
The first would be to conduct more thorough reference checks of candidates. Giroux says Fellner's past may have been better known if they had talked to more people.
Second, Giroux says the roles of those involved in the hiring process may need to better defined. He says some knew about a previous no confidence vote against Fellner at another university, but that information was not passed on to those who made the decision to hire him for the UW-Parkside job.
Finally, future hiring could require a longer time line to find the right candidate. Giroux says they may have rushed the process for hiring Fellner, and may want to consider extending the search process.
Even though changes may be needed, Giroux says the UW System still has a very effective hiring process. He says that's clear by the number of highly successful chancellors who have been hired under the current system, several of which have moved on to other states because of their reputations.
There are currently three vacant chancellor positions on UW campuses. Giroux says any changes would likely impact the process of filling those positions.
