Four finalists named for UW-Oshkosh chancellor position
Announced by Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman, a special regents committee selected the finalists from a list of candidates.
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The finalists, listed in alphabetical order, are:
Robert Brinkmann – Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL)
Amy Hietapelto – Dean, Labovitz School of Business and Economics, University of Minnesota-Duluth (Duluth, MN)
Manohar Singh – Interim President, Western Connecticut State University (Danbury, CT)
Joe Whitehead – Senior Advisor to the President for Regional Science Initiatives, Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH)
Next week, the candidates will participate in separate campus forums, offering opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to interact directly with them. The finalists will also take part in a public conversation.
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After reviewing campus feedback, officials will recommend a single candidate to the Board of Regents, which must approve the appointment.
The selected individual will become UW-Oshkosh's 12th leader.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Miami Herald
07-08-2025
- Miami Herald
Could ‘redistricting wars' tip the scales in 2026 midterms? Experts weigh in
It started with Texas. Then came California. Now, a slew of states across the country have joined in a hard-nosed, high-stakes redistricting battle. It's a mad scramble to redraw electoral maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with both Republicans and Democrats racing to secure an edge in the fight for control of the House of Representatives. But, can states complete redistricting in time? And, if successful, will their power play be enough to tip the balance of power in Washington, D.C.? Election experts share their insights. 'Many states could potentially redraw their congressional districts, but Texas is furthest along and most likely to happen,' Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told McClatchy News. The Lone Star State's Republican-controlled legislature plans to vote on a newly proposed district map, which would add five new GOP-majority districts. However, 50 Democratic lawmakers fled the state in an attempt to block the vote — and state officials, with the assistance of the FBI, are now seeking their return. The state's push to redistrict is unusual, as the process of reforming congressional districts typically only happens every 10 years, following the decennial U.S. census. 'Redistricting is (President Donald) Trump's way of doing a hardball power play to retain the playing field,' Jeffrey Wice, a professor at the New York Law School, told McClatchy News. Trump himself has said Republicans are 'entitled to five more seats' in Texas. As a result, officials in a number of other states have expressed their desire to follow suit — with Democratic leaders seeking to counteract Texas Republicans. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he plans to 'fight fire with fire.' And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the Texas redistricting move a 'blatant power grab' and said the Empire State would move forward with its own plan to redistrict. But, blue states face a number of hurdles in their attempt to redistrict — in part because many of them have ceded redistricting power to independent commissions, experts said. 'New York would need to adopt a constitutional amendment to change its process, and the earliest we could see new maps there would be for the 2028 election,' Shawn Donahue, a political science professor at the University of Buffalo, told McClatchy News. 'California would need to vote on changes to its process.' Other Democratic strongholds like Maryland and New Jersey would also face uphill battles, he said. On the other hand, Republican-controlled states, in addition to Texas, 'have many more potential opportunities to re-redistrict for 2026,' Donahue said. For example, Ohio is required to redraw its electoral map as its current map, approved in 2021, is set to expire, Wice said. Other GOP-controlled states that have expressed interest in redrawing their electoral maps, like Indiana and Missouri, 'can mostly do what they want as far as redistricting,' Donahue said. Vice President JD Vance flew to Indiana on Aug. 7 to discuss a potential redistricting move with state Republicans. Still, though, it's easier said than done. 'There's a big difference between members of a state legislature floating the idea of redrawing the state's districts, or even introducing a bill to do so, and the actual enactment of a new redistricting plan, which takes a lot of work and coalition-building,' David Hopkins, a political science professor at Boston College, told McClatchy News. On top of that, there's a big time crunch. 'The timelines are tight because congressional primaries in some states occur as early as March, meaning that candidates would need to file for office weeks or month before that,' Burden said. Because of this, 'there's a good chance that things stop with Texas,' Charles Stewart, a political science professor at MIT, told McClatchy News. Given the extremely narrow GOP majority in the House — maintained by just a few seats — 'the redistricting wars of 2025' could undoubtedly play a role in the outcome of next year's midterm elections, Burden said. 'Every seat in every state could potentially determine whether Trump continues to work with a Republican Congress after the midterm dust has settled,' he said. If only Texas redraws its electoral map, it could potentially thwart Democrats' attempt to gain control of the House — which would allow them to stall Trump's legislative agenda. 'A five-seat swing toward the Republicans just based on the changes in Texas would make it more difficult for the Democrats to retake the House, but not impossible,' Stewart said. However, if blue states like California succeed in redistricting, it could result in 'a wash,' Wice said. Burden echoed this view, saying 'If some blue states are able to create new districts, they might end up cancelling out the efforts in Texas.' However, larger forces are at play that may outweigh any partisan gains achieved through redistricting. Chief among these is the usual ebb and flow of power in Washington, where the president's party often faces losses during midterm elections. 'The normal historical pattern,' Hopkins said, 'is that the party of the president usually loses at least 10 House seats in the midterms.' This trend may be difficult to counteract, given current polls that show Trump has lost significant support. A July survey by Gallup found the president's approval rating had dipped to a record low for his second term. 'If we consider this episode as the opening salvo of the 2026 election and take it as evidence that inside Republican information is predicting a bloodbath for them in 2026, then (redistricting efforts) may end up looking like a bump in the road,' Stewart said.
24-07-2025
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers says he won't seek third term in battleground Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. -- Wisconsin's Democratic governor, Tony Evers, announced Thursday that he will not seek a third term in 2026, creating the first open race for governor in the battleground state in 16 years. It will be Wisconsin's highest profile race next year, as Democrats also angle to take control of the Legislature thanks to redrawn election maps that are friendlier to the party. They are also targeting two congressional districts as Democrats nationwide try to retake the House. The Legislature has been under Republican control since 2011, and some Democrats had hoped that Evers, 73, would run for a third term to give him a chance to potentially work with a Democratic-controlled one. In a video announcing his decision, Evers said he was 'damn proud' of working 50 years in public service. But he said it was time to focus on his family. 'For five decades, my family has sacrificed to give me the gift of service,' Evers said. 'They're my world and I owe it to them to focus on doing all the things we enjoy and love doing together.' Evers has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump's administration, and his tenure has been marked by his often contentious relationship with the Legislature. Before Evers even took office, Republicans convened a lame-duck session to pass a package of laws to weaken his power. Evers angered Republicans during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when he ordered schools and nonessential businesses to close, issued a statewide mask mandate and tried, unsuccessfully, to delay the state's April presidential primary. Republicans broke with tradition to reject 21 Evers appointees. They also blocked many of his proposals, including expanding Medicare, legalizing marijuana and spending more on child care, K-12 schools and higher education. Evers used his broad veto powers to stop Republicans from enacting a wide range of conservative priorities, including making voting requirements more strict, expanding gun rights, growing the private school voucher program and making abortions more difficult to obtain. But Evers did work with Republicans to pass the most recent state budget, which included $1.5 billion in tax cuts prioritized by the GOP and more funding for both K-12 special education and the University of Wisconsin. Evers also worked with Republicans to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee and funnel more money to local governments. Evers pushed for the redrawing of Wisconsin's legislative boundary lines, which the state Supreme Court ordered after liberal justices gained a majority in 2023. The maps drawn by Republicans, which had been in place for more than a decade, were widely regarded as among the most gerrymandered in the country. The new maps drawn by Evers are more favorable to Democrats and helped them pick up seats in last November's election. Democrats are optimistic that they can win control of at least one legislative chamber next year. Evers waited until after he signed the state budget before making his retirement announcement. The open race is sure to attract several Democratic and Republican candidates. Democrats mentioned as potential candidates include Attorney General Josh Kaul, Lt. Gov. Sarah Rodriguez, state Sen. Kelda Roys, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee businessman Bill Berrien are running as Republicans. Others, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering it. The last open race for governor was in 2010, when Democratic incumbent Jim Doyle, similar to Evers, opted not to seek a third term. Republican Scott Walker won that year and served two terms before Evers defeated him in 2018. The only Wisconsin governor to be elected to a third four-year term was Republican Tommy Thompson, who served from 1986 to 2001. He resigned midway through his fourth term. Evers won his first race by just over 1 percentage point in 2018. He won reelection by just over 3 points in 2022. Before being elected governor, Evers worked for 10 years as state superintendent of education after a career as a teacher and school administrator. Evers positioned himself as a folksy governor who would sprinkle the occasional mild swear word into his comments and other Midwestern colloquialisms such as 'holy mackerel' and 'folks.' His mild-mannered demeanor stood in stark contrast to Trump and other political firebrands. 'I think he is the most quintessential Wisconsin politician I've ever seen,' said Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who has been in elected office since 1991. After winning reelection in 2022, Evers noted that he is frequently described as boring, but said: 'As it turns out, boring wins.'
CBS News
24-07-2025
- CBS News
Wisconsin's Gov. Tony Evers says he won't seek third term in battleground state
Wisconsin's Democratic governor, Tony Evers, announced Thursday that he will not seek a third term in 2026, creating the first open race for governor in the battleground state in 16 years. It will be Wisconsin's highest profile race next year, as Democrats also angle to take control of the Legislature thanks to redrawn election maps that are friendlier to the party. They are also targeting two congressional districts as Democrats nationwide try to retake the House. The Legislature has been under Republican control since 2011, and some Democrats had hoped that Evers, 73, would run for a third term to give him a chance to potentially work with a Democratic-controlled one. In a video announcing his decision, Evers said he was "damn proud" of working 50 years in public service. But he said it was time to focus on his family. "For five decades, my family has sacrificed to give me the gift of service," Evers said. "They're my world and I owe it to them to focus on doing all the things we enjoy and love doing together." Evers has drawn the ire of President Trump's administration, and his tenure has been marked by his often contentious relationship with the Legislature. Before Evers even took office, Republicans convened a lame-duck session to pass a package of laws to weaken his power. Evers angered Republicans during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when he ordered schools and nonessential businesses to close, issued a statewide mask mandate and tried, unsuccessfully, to delay the state's April presidential primary. Republicans broke with tradition to reject 21 Evers appointees. They also blocked many of his proposals, including expanding Medicare, legalizing marijuana and spending more on child care, K-12 schools and higher education. Evers used his broad veto powers to stop Republicans from enacting a wide range of conservative priorities, including making voting requirements more strict, expanding gun rights, growing the private school voucher program and making abortions more difficult to obtain. But Evers did work with Republicans to pass the most recent state budget, which included $1.5 billion in tax cuts prioritized by the GOP and more funding for both K-12 special education and the University of Wisconsin. Evers also worked with Republicans to keep the Brewers in Milwaukee and funnel more money to local governments. Evers pushed for the redrawing of Wisconsin's legislative boundary lines, which the state Supreme Court ordered after liberal justices gained a majority in 2023. The maps drawn by Republicans, which had been in place for more than a decade, were widely regarded as among the most gerrymandered in the country. The new maps drawn by Evers are more favorable to Democrats and helped them pick up seats in last November's election. Democrats are optimistic that they can win control of at least one legislative chamber next year. Evers waited until after he signed the state budget before making his retirement announcement. "I promised you when I ran for this office that I'd always work to do the right thing, that I'd always give it to you straight, and that I'd always try to be a governor for all of Wisconsin. And I work every day to keep those promises. That'll never change," he said. The open race is sure to attract several Democratic and Republican candidates. Democrats mentioned as potential candidates include Attorney General Josh Kaul, Lt. Gov. Sarah Rodriguez, state Sen. Kelda Roys, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann and suburban Milwaukee businessman Bill Berrien are running as Republicans. Others, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski, are considering it. The last open race for governor was in 2010, when Democratic incumbent Jim Doyle, similar to Evers, opted not to seek a third term. Republican Scott Walker won that year and served two terms before Evers defeated him in 2018. The only Wisconsin governor to be elected to a third four-year term was Republican Tommy Thompson, who served from 1986 to 2001. He resigned midway through his fourth term. Evers won the gubernatorial race in 2018 by little more than a percentage point. In 2022, he fended off a challenge from Trump-endorsed Tim Michels. Before being elected governor, Evers worked for 10 years as state superintendent of education after a career as a teacher and school administrator. Evers positioned himself as a folksy governor who would sprinkle the occasional mild swear word into his comments and other Midwestern colloquialisms such as "holy mackerel" and "folks." His mild-mannered demeanor stood in stark contrast to Trump and other political firebrands. "I think he is the most quintessential Wisconsin politician I've ever seen," said Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who has been in elected office since 1991. Evers went viral during the 2024 Democratic National Convention when he — surrounded by a group of cheesehead-wearing supporters — said he was "jazzed as hell" to cast votes for Kamala Harris. After winning reelection in 2022, Evers noted that he is frequently described as boring, but said: "As it turns out, boring wins."
