Sunday, Feb. 1, marked the eighth year Chancellor Joe Gow will be UW-La Crosse’s chancellor, making him the longest running chancellor in UW-System history. Since Feb. 1, 2007, Gow has represented UW-L and advocated for the advancement of the UW-L community.
Before becoming a chancellor for UW-L, Gow went to school for journalism and got his Master’s degree in communications. He was a professor at Alfred University in upstate New York for 11 years, which he considered one of his favorite parts of his career due to his love for working with students and helping them discover themselves.
His eight years haven’t been exempt from temptation. In his Dec. 8, 2012 address to students and faculty, he confronted the rumors of is departure from UW-L for a position in UW-Madison.
“In considering the possibilities in Madison, I’ve also had to confront the reality that I would have to leave UW-L. And I’m pleased to tell you that I’m not willing to do that… And I have come to the conclusion that there is no place I’d rather be,” he wrote.
Gow remarked that no day as a university chancellor is ever the same as the last. Many things he does fall along the lines of public relations, where the main focus is to keep the university moving forward and to improve it any way he can.
Another aspect of his career that he stressed is that although the chancellor leads of the university, academic administration is not a job that can be handled by one person alone. Rather, it is a collaborative effort that requires the minds, opinions and perspectives of various people.
“Even though this is a collaborative community that I work in, I have to make decisions that other people cannot make or do not want to make, in which case I have to respond to them and be the leader. This is especially true in times of crisis, which are certainly not easy to deal with,” said Gow.
Gow also gave insight as to how the university has changed in his time at UW-L. The stadium, Centennial Hall and Eagle Hall are just a few of the new establishments on campus that have been enacted during Gow’s career.
Gow also gave a preview of where the university is heading. Plans for the future include the new student center, which is set to open in 2016, and the new science building, which is set to open fall of 2017.