Finalists named for Division of Continuing Studies dean

The University of Wisconsin–Madison has announced three finalists for the position of vice provost for lifelong learning and dean of the Division of Continuing Studies.

The finalists are:

• James A. Campbell, who now serves as interim vice provost for lifelong learning and dean of the division;
• Thomas F. Kowalik, director of continuing education and outreach at Binghampton University (SUNY) in Binghampton, N.Y., and,
• Jeffrey S. Russell, professor and chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UW–Madison.

The Division of Continuing Studies is a gateway for nontraditional learners to access the resources, facilities and programs of UW–Madison and supports the integration of the outreach function into the fabric of the university. The division’s primary role comprises leadership, administrative oversight, and marketing responsibility for UW–Madison’s noncredit offerings, credit outreach, and summer session.

The vice provost and dean provides campuswide leadership of the outreach mission and direct oversight for a combined faculty and staff of approximately 100 full-time equivalent employees and a budget of $15 million.

More on the candidates:

• Campbell has held the interim position since July 2010, and has been a member of the UW–Madison faculty since 1991. He served as chair of the Department of Professional Development and Applied Studies from 2002 to 2010 and as chair of the Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts from 2003 to 2010. From April-June 2010, he served as associate dean for programming and partnership development with the division. He holds a bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire and master’s and doctoral degrees in social work from Arizona State University.
• Kowalik has held his position at Binghampton University (SUNY) since 1992 and prior to that he served for eight years as the University Center at Binghampton (SUNY) as director of the continuing studies (community programs) division, School of Education and Human Development and a research associate for the Center for Education and Social Research. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Alfred University, a master’s of education in counseling from the University of Miami and a doctorate in adult education from Syracuse University.
• Russell has been on the UW–Madison engineering faculty since 1989 and has served as chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering since 2004. His primary research areas are decision analysis and construction process improvement. He has held the Pieper Foundation Chair in Servant Leadership since 2009. Russell holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s and doctorate in civil engineering from Purdue University.

In coming weeks, the finalists will be take part in on-campus visits with administrators, faculty, staff and students.