2014 - 2025 Andrew Leavitt

Dr. Andrew Leavitt became the eleventh Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 2014 after serving as Vice President for University Advancement and professor of chemistry at the University of North Georgia. Raised in Tucson, Arizona, Leavitt earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Arizona and his doctorate from the University of Utah. Before arriving in Oshkosh, he also held administrative leadership positions at the University of West Georgia and served as chief executive officer of the University of North Georgia Foundation.  

Andrew Leavitt assumed leadership of UW Oshkosh in 2014 at a time when the University's greatest challenges no longer centered on growth, but on adapting to changing demographics, declining enrollment, and new financial realities facing regional public universities. His administration inherited the financial and reputational consequences of the UW Oshkosh Foundation controversy while also confronting challenges facing regional public universities nationwide, including declining numbers of traditional college-age students, stagnant state support, and increasing competition for enrollment. Despite these pressures, Leavitt continued the University's commitment to undergraduate research, experiential learning, and sustainability while seeking to position UW Oshkosh for a changing higher education landscape.  Following years of popular demand, Leavitt reinstated a marching band on campus, lated to be named the Titan Thunder.   

Many of the defining events of Leavitt's administration came in its later years. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted campus operations in 2020 and accelerated enrollment declines already affecting universities throughout the Universities of Wisconsin system. As budget deficits grew, the University eliminated positions, reorganized academic and administrative units, and announced the closure of the branch campuses at UW Fond du Lac and Fox Cities that were merged with UWO in 2018. These decisions proved controversial, and in 2024 the Faculty Senate approved a vote of no confidence in Leavitt's leadership following significant staff layoffs and restructuring efforts. Leavitt maintained that these actions, though difficult, were necessary to preserve the University's long-term financial stability. 

In October 2024, Leavitt announced that he would step down as Chancellor at the conclusion of the academic year.  

Although his administration concluded during a period of financial retrenchment and institutional uncertainty, Leavitt's tenure reflected the profound demographic and economic challenges confronting many regional public universities in the early twenty-first century.