Finalist Named For UW System President
University Of Alaska System President Jim Johnson is only finalist left after others drop out.
UA President Jim Johnsen speaks with University of Alaska students. Photo courtesy of UAA.
A single finalist has been named in the search to replace outgoing University of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross. Jim Johnsen, who currently serves as president of the University of Alaska System is the only finalist that didn’t drop out of the search process.
A press release issued by the UW System Administration office said the search process for the next System president is moving to it’s next phase with Johnsen’s selection.
“The candidate pool that was developed and reviewed by the committee was very deep and strong, and included a number of impressive and qualified candidates at each step of the process,” said UW Board of Regents Vice President Michael M. Grebe, who chaired the Presidential Search Committee.
But the release also admits that “several candidates removed their names from consideration at the end of the process, with some expressing concern over being named publicly as a finalist during the pandemic.”
“The committee unanimously agreed on a first choice of finalist in Dr. Jim Johnsen as a strong, qualified, collaborative leader who would be an excellent choice as the next president of the UW System,” said Grebe.
A request for interviews with Grebe and Johnsen was denied by a UW System Administration spokesman.
According to news reports, Johnsen recommended closing the University of Alaska Anchorage’s School of Education after it lost its accreditation. UAA Faculty Senate members held no-confidence votes against Johnsen in 2017 and 2019. In October, the UAA Faculty Senate executive board asked the Alaska Board of Regents to remove Johnsen from his position as president.
For some faculty members within the UW System, the search process, its single finalist and Johnsen’s history with faculty at Anchorage is concerning.
“The fact that the faculty and staff and students were shut out of this search process here in Wisconsin was disturbing at the outset,” said Nerissa Nelson, a librarian at UW-Stevens Point and president of the campus union. “And the outcome of that search that just happened this morning is very angering and concerning. I think the solution that people have talked about is that this should be a failed search, that they need to start over.”
Nick Fleisher, UW-Milwaukee professor and president of the American Association of University Professors Wisconsin Conference, said the announcement of a single finalist coming out of the UW System presidential search process indicates that regents had a candidate in mind all along or that there was not a sufficient pool of qualified candidates.
Fleisher has criticized the search committee for not having any faculty, staff or students on it. The eight member committee included regents, ex-regents and campus administrators. He said that alone may set the new UW System administration off on the wrong foot.
Fleisher said he and other faculty will try to work with Johnsen but there are avenues to follow if things don’t work out.
“You know, a year from now, the Board of Regents will have majority of Evers appointees on it. And if the new system president turns out to be someone who we think is the wrong person for the job, then, you know, I think that many faculty and other groups will be lobbying the very reasons to replace him,” Fleisher said.
According to the UW System, the presidential search committee will solicit feedback about Johnsen from chancellors, campus leadership and shared governance representatives on June 9. After that, the committee will decide whether or not to recommend him to the full Board of Regents for approval.
Listen to the WPR report here.
Finalist Named In Search For Next UW System President was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Johnson is clearly not the right guy. Don’t bring his history and problems to Wisconsin. Please reopen the search!–and perhaps think about adding a few representatives that were missed in creating the search committee.