Campus Connection

Selection to be made later this spring

UW-La Crosse is one step closer to identifying its next chancellor. 

On Friday, March 1, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman announced three finalists for the position. UWL will host the finalists March 4-6 so they can connect with campus and community stakeholders, tour campus facilities, and make their case for becoming the 11th leader in university history. 

Continue reading to learn more about the finalists. Visit UWL’s chancellor search website to view livestreams of the finalist forums and learn more about the search process.  

James Beeby

James Beeby is the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Keene State College (New Hampshire), a role he has served in since 2021. At Keene State, Beeby has led strategic planning and implementation efforts, developed several new undergraduate and graduate programs, improved retention and graduation rates, built transfer agreements with community colleges, established strong ties with local businesses, and overseen successful reaccreditation efforts. He has also collaborated with sibling institutions on projects promoting student success, student mental health, and program development, and the implementation of new software systems. 

Previously, Beeby served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Southern Indiana. He also spent time as a professor and chair in the Department of History at Middle Tennessee State University. Beeby has published extensively in the fields of U.S. southern history, African American history, race relations, and the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, including scholarly articles and book chapters. He is the author of two university press peer-reviewed books. Hailing from a small village in eastern England, Beeby is a first-generation college student. He holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in history from the University of Wales (United Kingdom) and both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in American culture studies from Bowling Green State University (Ohio).  

Betsy Morgan

Betsy Morgan arrived at UWL in 1993. Within the Psychology Department, she was tenured, promoted to full professor, taught psychology courses for over 20 years, and served as chair for 12 years. In 2015, she became provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. Morgan was named interim chancellor of UWL in December 2023. Her provost work centered on faculty and department chair development and the consistent and effective review of teaching, scholarship and service. She has spearheaded initiatives around improved advising and reducing policy barriers to student progress, as well as a public health orientation to student mental wellness.

Morgan is a fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and served as president of the Psi Chi International Honor Society. She has authored two textbooks and several peer-reviewed journal articles and has presented at over 50 conferences nationwide. Much of her scholarship has involved undergraduate student collaborators. Morgan’s teaching includes general education, major requirements, seminar, online and international courses. Her community service includes work with the APA and Psi Chi, and membership on the boards of Options Clinic and the United Way. Morgan holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and women’s studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and both a master’s in social ecology and a Ph.D. in social and gender psychology from the University of California, Irvine.  

Christopher Olsen

Christopher Olsen is provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Indiana State University, where he has been on faculty since 1999. In this role, he oversees the academic enterprise, strategic enrollment management, marketing and communication; diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; faculty research; assessment; information technology; university websites; global engagement; and accreditation. Previously, he was dean of Indiana State’s College of Arts and Sciences for five years and chair of its Department of History for 15 years.

Olsen’s academic work examines the history of the antebellum United States, focusing on politics and political culture, gender, and race, and he remains active in his scholarly work. He has published two books, including “Political Culture and Secession in Mississippi,” with Oxford University Press, which was nominated for The Frederick Jackson Turner Prize, among others, and various articles and book chapters. In addition to his appointment as professor of history, he is an affiliated faculty member in African and African American studies and continues to teach. Olsen holds a bachelor’s degree in history from North Dakota State University, a master’s degree in United States history from the University of Nebraska and a Ph.D. in United States history from the University of Florida.