BELLINGHAM — Western Washington University’s trustees have picked the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay as their preferred candidate for their next president.
The trustees have called a special meeting for Friday to take a vote and authorize university officials to agree on a contract with Bruce Shepard, who says he is looking forward to returning to the Pacific Northwest.
Shepard was a political science professor at Oregon State University for 23 years and then worked his way up through administrative jobs at Oregon State, Eastern Oregon University and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where he has been chancellor since 2001.
Western’s 12th president, Karen Morse, announced last September that she would retire this fall. Morse is the longest-serving university president in Washington state.
Shepard is scheduled to meet with students, faculty and staff in Bellingham today and Friday before the trustees’ formal vote.
Trustees Chairman Kevin Raymond said he expects Shepard will be a strong advocate for the university in Olympia and an excellent fundraiser. An ongoing fundraising campaign in Green Bay under his leadership has raised more than $21 million.
Shepard was chosen out of 53 potential candidates forwarded by the university’s national search committee. If the university and Shepard agree on a contract and he is approved by the trustees on Friday, he would move to Bellingham this summer and become president of the university on Sept. 1, when Morse retires.
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