2000 - 2014 Richard Wells

Dr. Richard Wells became Chancellor of UW Oshkosh in 2000 after serving as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Indiana State University. A sociologist by training, Wells earned degrees from William Penn College, the University of Arkansas, and Texas A&M University. Before arriving in Oshkosh, he also served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at West Chester University and chaired the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of South Alabama. His combination of teaching experience and senior administrative leadership prepared him to lead UW Oshkosh through a period of significant institutional growth and change. 

When Wells arrived, the University was entering a period in which public higher education faced increasing expectations to demonstrate its value to students, employers, and taxpayers. Throughout his fourteen years as Chancellor, Wells emphasized strategic planning, student success, and building stronger connections between the University and the surrounding community. Enrollment grew nearly twenty percent during his administration, while the University expanded its academic offerings with new professional, engineering technology, environmental, and doctoral programs. Perhaps the most significant curricular change came with the creation of the University Studies Program, which restructured general education around interdisciplinary learning, civic engagement, sustainability, and high-impact educational practices. 

Wells also presided over the largest physical transformation of the campus since the early 1970s. More than $300 million in construction and renovation projects reshaped UW Oshkosh, including the construction of Sage Hall, Horizon Village, the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, the Alumni Welcome and Conference Center, and the renovation of Reeve Memorial Union and Kolf Sports Center. Many of these projects relied upon innovative combinations of state funding, program revenue, private partnerships, and donor support. In the final years of his administration, however, financing arrangements connected to several of these developments became the subject of legal scrutiny. In 2018, Wells pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office after admitting he had signed loan guarantees on behalf of the UW Oshkosh Foundation without legal authority. Although investigators found no evidence that he personally profited, his actions resulted in significant losses for the Foundation  and years of legal and financial challenges for the University. 

Beyond campus, Wells worked to position UW Oshkosh as an economic and civic partner throughout the Fox Valley. He served on numerous local, state, and national boards and encouraged collaborations between the University, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and private industry. During his administration, UW Oshkosh became nationally recognized for its commitment to sustainability through environmentally responsible building practices, renewable energy initiatives, and the construction of the University's pioneering dry fermentation anaerobic biodigester. The institution also earned recognition as the nation's first Fair Trade University and received numerous awards for environmental stewardship. 

Wells' administration fundamentally reshaped the physical campus and expanded the University's academic mission. At the same time, the financing decisions made during its final years resulted in legal consequences that continue to influence assessments of his tenure.