With retirement approaching, Telfer takes time to reflect
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
As he peers out his office window and looks onto the sprawling campus, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Chancellor Richard Telfer cannot help but be amazed.
Even in our technology-soaked society, Telfer can still recall his earliest days of employment with UW-Whitewater in 1985 — a time when personal computers were just beginning their stronghold into our lives, and a time when the campus footprint was smaller than it is today.
Telfer, who became UW-Whitewater’s chancellor in June 2007, is retiring June 30. He sat down with the Whitewater Register last week to discuss his career, the outpouring of collaboration he has witnessed and what plans he has on the horizon, post-retirement.
When asked why he is closing this chapter of his professional career, Telfer gave a ready — but simple — answer. “It felt like a good time,” he said.
In his eight years at the helm, Telfer has shepherded UW-Whitewater through a time of unprecedented change. Campus enrollment has climbed upward, and the number of program offerings has followed a similar upward trajectory.
“One of the things I’ve enjoyed seeing is the appearance of the campus change over time,” Telfer said. “It’s changed pretty dramatically over time. The programs we’ve been offering have only gotten better. I credit the staff here for making it better.”
In recent years, a number of campus facilities have either been renovated or expanded — an outward sign, Telfer said, of UW-Whitewater’s ongoing evolution. A quick sampling of some of the venues includes the Hamilton Center, Highland Hall, McGraw Hall and Starin Hall.
That’s just the academics. In terms of athletics, Telfer quickly points out several amenities — from the field house to the track and soccer field — have been revamped in recent years in large part because of student interest.
This fall, Telfer said he will be pleased to see one of the last physical additions transpire from his tenure. A new student success center is being constructed to assist students with writing skills.
“Writing is so important, across all disciplines,” Telfer said. “The new student success center will make this kind of service more accessible to students.”
Another milestone during Telfer’s leadership has been the construction and success of the Whitewater University Innovation Center — the multi-tenant facility within the city’s Technology Park.
Four years after opening, the Innovation Center — a collaborative effort between UW-Whitewater, the City of Whitewater and the Community Development Authority — is at full-occupancy. Last week, a celebratory event with such statewide dignitaries as State Speaker of the House Robin Vos, R-Rochester, was held to mark the accomplishment.
“It’s something we all feel good about,” Telfer said of the Innovation Center. “I think there’s a closer connection between the university and community now than there might have been before.”
The Innovation Center is one of several visible reminders that UW-Whitewater has increasingly become woven into the city’s fabric.
Telfer said another visible way this has been accomplished is through the Irvin L. Young Auditorium. While the venue hosts many UW-Whitewater events, it also is a site of a growing number of communitywide programs.
As he looks to post-retirement, Telfer said he and wife Roni have a number of plans on the horizon, including travel plans to spend extended time with their children, in-laws and grandchildren.
“But we’re going to continue to call Whitewater home,” Telfer said. “This is where we want to stay.”
