Dr. Corey King became Chancellor of UW-Whitewater in March 2023. In the following Q and A with herawisconsin.org, Chancellor King gives his perspective on his background as a first-generation college student, his vision for UW-Whitewater, his appreciation for the collaborative nature of HERA and more.
Tell us a little bit about yourself, and your journey to become chancellor at UW-Whitewater.
I’m a first-generation college student. My mother cleaned houses and my father was a sanitation worker, and they dropped out of school to help with the family farm.
I was really not thinking about college. I was thinking about being a professional football player. Mom had other aspirations. I played football before I went to college. I got tackled, and the next thing I know, mom came on the football field. She took me off, and I never went back. She told me two things: One, no concussions. And two, get a college degree.
Luckily, I had some mentors in school and they were all teachers. I loved math. And so I decided to become a middle school math teacher. I got an opportunity to attend Florida State University, and during that time I fell in love with being a resident assistant, an orientation leader, I was in Greek life. I just got so engaged with the college experience, and the richness of the experience both inside and outside of the classroom, that I decided to get my Master’s Degree in College Student Personnel, started with student affairs work, and the rest is history.
You’ve been in this role since March 2023. What have you learned about the institution during that time?
Of course, the institution is aligned with my own values and beliefs. The belief in academic excellence and inclusivity and belonging, and access and affordability. It’s all important to me.
This is an institution that I’m learning aspires to even more than I can ever imagine.
The one thing that should not have surprised me, but did, is the love for this institution is genuine. If I mention the name, people come out of the woodwork, telling their story about the university.
How would you describe the role of a chancellor, and how do you think it is changing over time?
Today, most of my time as a chancellor is really navigating external factors: The legislature, the system office, alumni, donors, parents. A lot of those spaces that are outside students, faculty and staff.
When you think about higher education today, there are a couple of issues that keep me moving forward: Enrollment. Retention. Graduation. Persistence. Financial stability of the institution. Living out our mission. Responding to crises. Mental health. Affordability. Those things keep me moving forward as a chancellor.
How do you see UW-Whitewater adapting to meet the evolving needs of students?
When our students leave the institution, when they graduate, we want to make sure that they are inspired, engaged and transformed.
We want to make sure that our students not only graduate, but they leave with a sense that they’re able to be in a society that is better than their parents’ was.
We do aspire to the Wisconsin Idea – this idea that we are more than just an institution where our students are graduating, but they’re helping us as critical thinkers, and they’re helping to solve regional and community issues. We’re helping together to make an economic impact on the region – UW-Whitewater, our economic impact has at this point been half a billion dollars. Those things are all a part of that Wisconsin Idea.
How do you interact with employers?
We interact with employers every day. Nine times out of 10, we are able to connect with alums. They know who we are. They help our students as mentors. They help tell them what skills they need, and to open doors for internships and co-ops and practicums.
How have you been involved with HERA so far, and what have you taken away from those experiences?
It’s just amazing for me that there is an entity that connects higher education institutions and leaders in a regional space. Having multiple entities within higher education all having the same common mission of educating, of academic excellence, for me that’s just incredible.
I serve on one of the strategic goals that really speaks to careers and career services and navigating with employers and helping students connect with internships. How do we capture within the region, within HERA, the institutions, a common path forward serving our students and our employers in this space? Recognizing that these are the things we have in common that we can capitalize on while still respecting and recognizing some of the individualities we have within our institutional cultures.
How does your background as a first-generation student influence how you reach out to today’s first-generation students?
No. 1, students should be proud. Be first, be proud. It is an accomplishment to be the first in your family to get to this point. I would also say, ask questions. Take in everything you can, and know that there are people around you who are there to help and you just have to ask. Nine times out of 10 as a first-generation student, you don’t have support from family members who have gone down that path. Lean into that.
And enjoy the moment and the journey. Enjoy it, embrace it and recognize that you have help every step of the way. And when you get to the end of that journey, that graduation, you will now not only be able to celebrate yourself, but you will have paved the way for others to come behind you in similar journeys. And to me, that feels good.
What else should we know?
I’ve been in higher ed for three decades now, and I would say I’ve enjoyed the ride. I’ve enjoyed the journey. Every step, each space, I’ve learned and grown and developed. Right now as chancellor, to interact with faculty, staff, alumni and community leaders every day and changing lives, it is just unimaginable that I would be in this position. And for that, I am grateful.
