OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) – A new leader is stepping into the chancellor role at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and he is bringing a fresh and bold vision for the future.
Dr. Manohar Singh officially became UWO’s 12th chancellor, and although this is his first chancellor position, he is no stranger to higher education leadership roles.
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He is a first-generation college student and a Harvard graduate. He says this personal anecdote stays with him and is a part of his mission here in Oshkosh.
“It should be a beacon of hope. We have 40% of first-generation college students, and I am a first-generation student myself, and it’s really important for me to give that hope and facilitate that hope into the pride and dignity that education can bring,” said Singh.
He most recently served as interim president at Western Connecticut University, where he helped stabilize university finances and address declining enrollment.
Both are challenges that UWO has faced.
“I am well equipped to understand the financial challenges of not only the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, but also the entire University of Wisconsin System and the entire nation,” Singh said.
His goal is to invest in future jobs.
“The jobs we want to be creating, the education we want to spread is more human-focused, community-focused, nation-focused.”
With $137.5 million allocated from the state budget to the new Polk Learning Commons, Singh says it will not just be a building used for students and staff.
“Not just a learning common that is just for the university students — it is for everyone in the community, and I want to invite everyone in the community to come watch it grow and then use it and watch it grow.”
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Singh said that this learning commons is just a piece of a larger transformation.
“There is one way to go, and that is forwards and onwards.”
