Wisconsin educator is top pick to lead WWU

BELLINGHAM — Bruce Shepard, the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, is poised to become Western Washington University's 13th president.

Western trustees Wednesday morning announced Shepard as their preferred candidate, from an initial pool of 53 applicants. Shepard will meet with faculty and students here on campus Thursday ahead of a special meeting Friday, when trustees are expected to formalize the hire.

Western President Karen Morse announced last fall she is stepping down effective Sept. 1. Morse, serving her 15th year as president, has the longest tenure of any sitting president at a state university.

Shepard, 61, said Wednesday he is excited to return to the Pacific Northwest. He came to the 6,100-student Green Bay campus from Eastern Oregon University, where he was provost and a professor of political science. Before that, he spent 23 years at Oregon State University in the political science department. He said he's been impressed with Western during recent "incognito" visits.

"What caught my attention is that it's a university which is very good and wants to get better," Shepard said.

Shepard listed Western's focus on the environment and commitment to the "student experience" as factors in his decision. He said he and his wife, Cyndie, were impressed with the friendly feel of Bellingham and the beauty of the area during their visits. And, he said, it helps that Gov. Christine Gregoire has been a supporter of higher education.

It also happens that Shepard is an avid sailor, who, 15 years ago, chartered a sailboat from Bellingham. Shepard said that sailing wasn't a major factor in his decision, although he said he has noticed, of course, that Western Washington is on the water.

Western board President Kevin Raymond said it was clear that Shepard was a standout candidate from the beginning. Somebody involved in the search had described him as a "giant among giants," Raymond added, which he agreed with.

"He's passionately committed to higher education and student diversity, community and the environment," Raymond said. "He's got a compelling presence. And his wife, Cyndie, is a community leader in her own right."

Cyndie Shepard is a special-education administrator and director of UW, Green Bay's Phuture Phoenix Program.

Before choosing Shepard, trustees earlier this month interviewed five finalists at a SeaTac hotel.

Western, with about 12,200 students, is the state's third-largest university. About one-third of the students live on campus in 15 residence halls. The campus is 215 acres and includes the 38-acre Sehome Arboretum.

Shepard, a California native, received his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of California, Riverside. His scholarship and teaching focuses on American government, public policy and policy analysis, research methods, and environmental and natural resource politics and policy. He has published widely and is active in numerous professional and community organizations locally and nationally.

He and Cyndie have a son, Paul.

Shepard's salary will be announced Friday if trustees decide to hire him. Morse makes $242,880 annually.

Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com