Olsen answers questions at forum for UWL chancellor candidates; interim chancellor Morgan gets her turn on Wednesday

A candidate for chancellor at UW-La Crosse says he expects to be involved in community activity outside the campus, if he’s hired for the job.

Christopher Olsen met with university staff and students on Tuesday, in the second forum this week for finalists applying for chancellor. Olsen works as a provost at Indiana State University, and says he likes to be a representative of his school.

Olsen spoke about collaboration and flexibility for the university, saying a lot of his current job is “just being there, and showing up to do stuff,” and being visible as a representative of the university.

Olsen is one of the three finalists for chancellor on the La Crosse campus, and he was the second one to appear at a forum in the city this week. During his talk on Tuesday, Olsen…a vice-president at Indiana State…said it’s important for the head of the university to be part of the community. He also complimented the La Crosse campus on its current success in attracting students.

“For UWL, you obviously have a lot of that in great shape,” said Olsen. “Very consistent enrollment, tremendous student success numbers, and metrics that are out there, students perform well.”

The third candidate is already part of the La Crosse community. Interim chancellor Betsy Morgan will be interviewed at a campus forum on Wednesday. A committee is likely to choose a successor to Joe Gow within the next few days.