The Universities of Wisconsin announced Dr. Thomas Gibson as UWM’s next chancellor in a statement released on Monday. Dr. Gibson is currently the chancellor at UW-Stevens point, and has been since 2021.
“Tom Gibson has made a tremendous impact at UW-Stevens Point, and he will be an extraordinary leader for UW-Milwaukee,” Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said in the statement. “Balancing an enthusiasm for students with an ability to drive community and business partnerships, Tom is always moving forward.”
Under his leadership, UW-Stevens Point experienced two consecutive years of enrollment growth, secured a $10 million gift from Sentry Insurance and donations of land for their College of Natural Resources, according to the announcement.
“I am extremely honored to lead UW-Milwaukee largely because of its people. These are people who are mission-driven, and I am honored to be a part of that community,” said Gibson in the announcement video.
Gibson stressed the importance of supporting faculty research at a town hall meeting held last Tuesday. He also explained his role in budget advocacy for the university, and his commitment to directly address student needs.
“I’ve always prioritized student mental health and ensuring on-campus support that is essential to student’s educational journey,” said Gibson at the town hall meeting.
In his announcment video, Gibson promises to uphold the “dual mission of UWM, expanding educational access to all student who would benefit from a UWM education, and its research mission, ensuring that we continue to support faculty members research endeavors.”
Before becoming the chancellor at UW-Steven’s Point, he served as the Presidential Leadership Fellow at Robert Morris University, and as Vice President of Student Affairs and Vice Provost at Bowling Green State University. He also held leadership positions at York and Queens College, which are part of the City University of New York system.
Gibson got his bachelor’s in mass communications from Eastern Connecticut State University, then went on to get his doctorate in educational leadership in higher education administration from Johnson & Wales University.
The university had three other candidates they were also considering, who all had separate town hall meetings last week.
Nicolle Parsons-Pollard
The meeting on Monday was for Dr. Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, who is currently the Provost of Georgia State University. In her town hall meeting, Parsons-Pollard touched on the similar financial states the UWM and Georgia State were in and how she was able to improve Georgia State’s financial standing and enrollment numbers.
Parsons-Pollard stressed how her plans of giving departments individualized plans and ensuring that all parts of the university work together to help students helped get Gerogira State out of their struggling financial times.
“I would constantly support the mission of the institution, [as chancellor] you are a champion of the institution,” said Parsons-Pollard.
Allan Klotsche
Allan Klotsche is currently the Director of Master Programs at UWM, and was a professor at the Lubar College of Business for 17 years before becoming the director. He has direct ties to the university, as his grandfather was the university’s very first chancellor.
Before working at UWM, Klotsche had 25 years of experience with the Brady Corporation, where he served as president of Brady Asia, growing their revenues from $50 million to $300 million. Klotsche also started two non-profits, the Brady Corporation Foundation and Summit4water.
In his town hall meeting, Klotsche talked about how he could use his business background to help the university get out of its financial struggles, and how important maintaining the university’s diversity is.
“UWM is about inclusion. You cannot take inclusion out of UWM’s soul,” said Klotsche.
Carol Kim
Dr. Carol Kim is the current Vice President of Global Recruitment, Admissions, and Financial Aid at New York University, and has 25 years of experience in leadership roles at universities.
Kim touched on the importance of supporting innovative research and the incorporation of AI into an educational environment in her town hall meeting. She also talked about her projects encouraging and supporting older community members in education at universities.
“My vision for UWM is a thriving urban university, driving innovation for the city, the region, state, and beyond,” said Kim. “This vision is rooted in traditions here on campus, and in Milwaukee, and would have a tremendous amount of input from faculty, staff, and students.”