University of Wisconsin System President Kevin P. Reilly announced Wednesday that Gilles Bousquet has agreed to serve as the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Interim Chancellor following the departure of Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich next month.
Levin-Stankevich announced on March 27 that he will leave Wisconsin to become President of Westminster College in Utah. May 1 will be his final day as Chancellor, with UW-Eau Claire Provost and Vice Chancellor Patricia Klein serving as officer-in-charge until Bousquet’s appointment begins on July 15.
In addition to serving as Dean of UW-Madison’s Division of International Studies and Vice-Provost for Globalization, Bousquet is Director of the International Institute, Special Assistant to the Chancellor for International Engagement, and the Pickard-Bascom Professor of French.
After consulting with leaders of the Board of Regents and members of the UW-Eau Claire campus community, Reilly identified Bousquet as the person to provide effective leadership for UW-Eau Claire while a search is launched for Levin-Stankevich’s successor. The full Board of Regents will meet on Friday to approve the terms of Bousquet’s interim appointment.
“Gilles’ academic credentials and leadership experiences are a very good fit with UW-Eau Claire’s core liberal arts mission. Considering the growing interest in UW-Eau Claire’s international reach and global involvement, Gilles brings unique expertise, along with proven leadership capabilities,” said Reilly. “At a time when people want Wisconsin’s public universities to help boost economic growth, Gilles’ work on system-wide economic development strategies shows that he understands the UW’s role as an economic engine for the state.”
“I welcome the invitation from President Reilly to lead one of Wisconsin’s finest public universities through this transition period. UW-Eau Claire has a reputation as a high-quality institution with a strong commitment to liberal arts and professional education,” said Bousquet. “I look forward to working with, supporting, and learning from the entire campus community, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the University. Only by working together can we keep advancing the institution’s strategic initiatives and sustain its reputation for excellence.”
Bousquet, who will take a leave of absence from UW-Madison, is leading preparations for the June launch of UW-Madison’s first overseas outpost, an Innovation Office in Shanghai, China.
“I remain committed to seeing this important initiative through and plan to continue my involvement with this Shanghai office in the coming years,” said Bousquet.
“Gilles is an experienced leader, a talented scholar and has taken a strong role in ensuring that UW-Madison is engaged globally,” says UW-Madison Provost Paul M. DeLuca Jr. “I am confident that he will provide UW-Eau Claire with steady leadership at this critical time.”
Reilly previously appointed Bousquet as co-chair of the UW System Task Force on Internationalization and Economic Development in 2009 to develop strategies to strengthen foreign investment opportunities across Wisconsin. David J. Ward, former UW System Senior Vice President and president/founder of NorthStar Economics, served as co-chair of that task force. He also serves as chair of the Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction’s International Education Council.
As UW-Madison’s senior international officer since 2002, Bousquet is responsible for coordinating the university’s internationalization strategy, with particular attention to language and area studies, global alliances, and public-private partnerships. He also holds a joint appointment in the School of Business as senior advisor to the Center for International Business Education and Research and to the Initiative for Studies in Transformational Entrepreneurship. He was named to the newly created posts of Vice Provost for Globalization and Special Assistant to the Chancellor for International Engagement in 2010.
Born in Algeria and raised in France, Bousquet received his doctorate from the Université de Provence, Aix-Marseille I, France, in 1983. He came to UW-Madison as an exchange lecturer in the Department of French and Italian in 1982 and officially joined the faculty in 1986.
Reilly will work with the Board of Regents and the UW-Eau Claire campus community to begin a national search for the university’s next chancellor, aiming to have a permanent appointment made sometime by the summer of 2013. That process will commence when Reilly appoints a search and screen committee comprised of UW-Eau Claire faculty, academic staff, classified staff, students, and community representatives. That committee will lead the national search and recommend a slate of finalists for consideration by Reilly and a special committee of Regents.
UW-Eau Claire enrolls more than 11,000 students in more than 80 degree programs. UW-Eau Claire is among U.S. News & World Report’s top five public regional universities in the Midwest for 2012; is named a 2012 Best Midwestern College by The Princeton Review; and is designated a 2012 Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs magazine. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine included UW-Eau Claire among its 100 best values in public colleges for 2012.