UW-Oshkosh chancellor to step down in June 2025

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Chancellor Andrew Leavitt announced Wednesday that he will step down next year, becoming the 4th chancellor in the Universities of Wisconsin system to either announce plans to resign or be fired since December 2023.

The announcement comes roughly six months after the UW-Oshkosh faculty voted they had no confidence in Leavitt, and as the university continues to grapple with a structural budget deficit. 

In a letter to the campus community, Leavitt, who was appointed chancellor in the fall of 2014, said he plans to resign at the end of June 2025. He said the decision stems from his “unwavering commitment to do what is best” for the university.

“The institution is on the right track, and it won’t lose a step through the leadership transition next summer,” Leavitt wrote. 

He wrote that he would continue on as a chemistry professor after stepping down as chancellor.

Leavitt led UW-Oshkosh through the COVID-19 pandemic. When students returned to campus in the fall of 2021, Leavitt taught a chemistry course to stand in solidarity with faculty.

But he faced backlash from faculty and staff last year over a plan to address an $18 million budget shortfall by cutting more than 200 positions. 

In June, the Universities of Wisconsin System said UW-Oshkosh was facing an $8.6 million structural deficit heading into this school year, and that it had fully exhausted its unrestricted reserve balance.

In his letter, Leavitt wrote that the university is on track to stabilize its enrollment and finances, as well as modernize its campus facilities. 

“These goals will be my focus over the next eight months,” he said. “They are geared toward achieving one outcome: a strong, sustainable UWO.”

After Leavitt’s announcement, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman and Board of Regents President Amy Bogost provided statements saying he had been a passionate leader. 

“Chancellor Leavitt has been committed to providing a top-notch student experience that emphasizes teaching and learning — in the classroom, in the workplace, and in the community,” Bogost said. “We are grateful for his service to UW Oshkosh, its campus community, and the entire state.”

UW-Oshkosh Anthropology professor Stephanie Spehar, co-president of the United Faculty and Staff of Oshkosh union, said she wishes Leavitt well but she feels it is time for a change in leadership.

“A change in leadership will only solve so much,” she said. “We have really deep structural problems at our state universities. This includes UW Oshkosh, but (it) also extends throughout the other Universities of Wisconsin schools.”

She said that problem facing all state universities is a lack of adequate state funding.

Wisconsin ranks 43rd of 50 states in public funding of four-year higher education, including revenues from tuition and state funding, according to the latest State Higher Education Finance report by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. 

9 of 13 UW chancellors assumed their post in last 4 years

The average tenure of university presidents is on the decline. Nine of the 13 Universities of Wisconsin chancellors were appointed within the last four years.

Wisconsin is not an outlier. The American Council on Education, found the average tenure of a college president is six years. That’s down from just over eight years in 2022.

When UW-River Falls  Chancellor Maria Gallo retired Aug. 1 after three years at the helm, she said the timing was right for “her, her family, and the campus.”

UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Mark Mone announced in July he’ll step down next year and return to his role as a business professor.

He said serving as chancellor requires around-the-clock attention and has been as rewarding as it is challenging.

UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow was fired last year after pornographic videos he created and distributed came to light.