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Inauguration of UW-Stout Chancellor Robert Meyer
April 2, 2015
Remarks by UW System President Ray Cross
Thank you, Mark.
It is an honor to be here today. And I’d like to thank you all for participating and
for traveling here to recognize and celebrate an historic day at UW-Stout.
I also want to thank the student musicians, the event coordinators and the faculty
representatives who have taken the time to share their creativity and talents in
helping put this special day together. While I have had the opportunity to
participate in a couple of inaugurations as President of the UW System, I know
and appreciate that they are rare occasions for our institutions. Each one is
unique and momentous.
…Which brings us to the reason we gather here today – the inauguration of your
Chancellor Robert Meyer.
This is a rather remarkable fact: UW-Stout has a nearly 125-year history; however,
Bob Meyer is only the seventh chancellor over that time. For those of you doing
the math, that is an average of nearly 18 years of service per chancellor.
… Keep that in mind, Bob. You’ve got a ways to go…
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In all seriousness, this campus community is clearly doing something right.
No chancellor has ever left the institution for another job. It is a testament to a
legacy of stability within the leadership at UW-Stout and the deep affection that
its leaders have for the institution.
It also means that its leaders develop deep connections to the community and the
area. Leaders here truly become respected contributors to the city and region.
Bob Meyer embodies this deep devotion to the institution and the community.
He boasts two degrees from UW-Stout, and, as Regent Millner mentioned, his
family has pursued education here, too: his wife, Debbie, and his daughter, Erica,
also proud UW-Stout graduates.
Before leaving to become president of Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in
2006, Bob had spent 25 years at UW-Stout as a faculty member, dean and
administrator. More evidence of his deep connection to UW-Stout.
In his short time as chancellor, Bob has worked tirelessly to reconnect to the
institution that he so obviously loves. His energy, positive outlook and passion for
innovation is obvious to everyone who has come in contact with him since
August.
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I also greatly admire his leadership style. He has taken an active role with his
fellow chancellors and has been a valuable asset to me as a member of my
leadership team (or whatever we call that Thursday morning teleconference
group).
Bob’s office door is open to anyone and everyone who has a concern or idea to
move the university forward.
That sensibility and practice is essential today. Being a chancellor in the UW
System has always been a challenging position, but never more so than today.
Bob has already shown that he is up to the challenge, making sure the campus
community members feel that they are a part of the process and the solutions
UW-Stout follows and reaches.
There is no question that Bob brings a passion to the office, and that is exactly
what we need in chancellors these days as we try to navigate these difficult and,
in many ways, uncharted fiscal waters.
However, Bob’s passion is tempered by realism developed as a lifelong Wisconsin
resident.
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He knows how the Legislature works, how budgets work and how higher
education funding works. That realistic understanding and view of the world is
invaluable in these difficult days.
I know that under Bob’s leadership, UW-Stout will continue to remain a critical
partner and catalyst in this community, region and state. This is something that
each one of our 13 four-year campuses, 13 two-year colleges and the UWExtension are renowned for. As much as we count on them to educate students
for a more vibrant future, we are equally dependent on them to share wisdom,
achieve breakthroughs and improve the human condition where they are.
Wisconsin looks to its Chancellors as the mayors, if you will, of remarkable
educational communities that benefit everyday people, schools, nonprofits,
businesses large and small and Wisconsin’s heritage industries. They keep driving
us forward.
The evidence of UW-Stout’s impact is everywhere you look, on and off campus.
And I know that impact will only deepen under Chancellor Meyer’s leadership.
For nearly six decades, UW-Stout’s Career Services office has aimed to reach
every graduate in each year to check on their employment status and quality of
life.
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Let me echo a statistic that Regent Millner shared, because it is truly remarkable:
For more than a decade, this institution’s graduates have enjoyed had an
employment rate of 97 percent or more – 97 percent.
That is a testament to the many ways UW-Stout degrees and graduates meet
students’ needs and business, industry and economic needs, leveraging a handson, applied-learning model with a strong focus on cooperative education and
internships as part of the student experience.
I am confident that this campus--one of 26 in the highly regarded UW System—
will continue to thrive with a leader like Chancellor Meyer. I know he will continue
the work necessary to demonstrate the many ways UW-Stout serves as one of
this region’s Universities OF and, just as importantly, FOR Wisconsin.
… With that, we move to the order of business for the day…
Investiture: (the medallion will be near the podium)
Bob, it is my privilege to bestow this chancellor’s medallion as a symbol of office,
and to charge that it is worn with the greatest esteem and honor. May it serve to
help inspire you as you lead this university in its mission of teaching, research,
and public service, during what promises to be a positive, productive, and exciting
term as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Congratulations!