Interview with University of California-Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox

Today we’re talking with University of California-Riverside Chancellor Kim Wilcox. In addition to being UCR Chancellor, Wilcox is one of the founders of University Innovation Alliance. He’s been happy to announce that UIA schools have surpassed their founding degree goals, but he says there are other dynamics just as important as helping more students to achieve university success. He’s been very proud of the simple visibility of the task, having universities come together for something other than athletics, and creating a cohort of people that are committed to a shared mission. Chancellor Wilcox says the UIA was an early example of a group of institutions coming together to attack a problem.

UC campuses have made a very clear statement on reopening campuses this fall, while many other states and systems have not been as assertive. Despite strong leadership from the UC system, there are still worries. Chancellor Wilcox says the public health dynamics and nuanced advice from the CDC have caused concerns. He says the political overlay has also been divisive. With different expectations across different counties, there is confusion about the right approach to learning safely. Chancellor Wilcox says everyone wants normalcy, but we’ll take semi-normal. He says he worries about shifts that could come up now. Earlier in the pandemic it was very black and white, things were one way, then they were another. Now there are more nuances and uncertainties to worry about.

Chancellor Wilcox says when he first came to UCR, it was odd being a division one school without a football team. There were even talks of moving down a division or getting rid of athletics all together. Chancellor Wilcox says there is a lot that athletics brings to a university, and he doesn’t think they should be done away with, but he does think we should look at a different way of managing them. We’re all okay with ‘coach’s rules’ but if one professor had his own set of rules, we wouldn’t stand for that. Something’s gotta give.

The best advice Chancellor Wilcox said he’s received was from his wife, and that was to take a vacation, if for nothing more than the fact that other people watch him and if he doesn’t take a vacation they might think they don’t deserve one either. He says when people come to him for advice, he tells people to always look for the good listener. You’ll never know everything and should always be seeking answers from others, like a good listener.