Gary Miller

Gary L. Miller

August 2014-September 2019

Gary Leon Miller assumed his duties as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay on August 1, 2014. He brought to the position a commitment to expand community partnerships, foster student learning and champion the power of higher education to change lives. After five years at the helm, he departed from UW-Green Bay to assume the role of president at the University of Akron.

During his tenure, he described a vision of UW-Green Bay’s future in which the institution would be energized by the three “Powers of the Phoenix.” The University will thrive, he said, through the power of innovation, the power of higher education as an agent of transformation and the power of place — the idea that UW-Green Bay serves its region.

Miller came to Green Bay from the chancellorship at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. He was previously provost and vice president for Academic Affairs and Research at Wichita State University (2006-2011) and dean of the College of Pacific (arts and sciences) at the University of the Pacific (2002-2006).

While serving as a professor and chair of biology at the University of Mississippi, he co-authored the widely used textbook, Ecology. He was a faculty member at Weber State University and Mississippi State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Mississippi State University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Biology from the College of William and Mary.

Immediately upon his arrival in Green Bay Miller began a campuswide planning and visioning process he called “Invent the Future of the University.” With UW System schools facing significant reductions in state funding, he convened a special planning and budget group at UW-Green Bay to advise on every aspect of the University.

Other early priorities included a concerted campaign to enhance student recruitment and enrollment; steps to upgrade the institution’s internal data-analysis capabilities; and efforts to build even stronger relationships with alumni, elected officials, community members and private donors.