University leaders named
UW-Whitewater community,
Please join us in congratulating recently named university leaders:
Paul Ambrose has been named the dean of the College of Business and Economics. Since 2005, Ambrose has been part of the UW-Whitewater community, serving in multiple roles, from faculty member to department chair to associate dean, and most recently as interim dean.
“Dr. Ambrose brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the position with ideas about how to meet the needs of a broader group of students,” said Robin Fox, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “He has already begun work on multiple articulation agreements with the technical colleges and has been a leader in discussions about retaining students from underrepresented groups. Under his leadership, I believe the college — Wisconsin’s largest accredited school of business — will not only continue its high-quality programs, but there will be an expansion in the students served in our region and online.”
Ambrose officially begins as dean on Jan. 20
Connie Putland has been named chief human resource officer in the Department of Human Resources and Diversity. Putland has been serving in the interim role since July 2022, and was previously deputy chief human resource officer. She has more than 20 years of HR experience in the UW System, including more than 10 years of service at UW-Whitewater.
“Connie's in-depth knowledge of UW System and regulatory policies, and her demonstrated ability to manage the difficult challenges that the HR department faces on a daily basis will prove to be an invaluable asset to the Whitewater and Rock County campuses,” said Brenda Jones, vice chancellor for administrative affairs. “Connie stepped into the role of interim chief HR officer at a time of significant departmental transition. Since then, she has begun rebuilding partnerships and collaborative efforts within and between departments. I know that with her leadership and support, the HR department will continue to build upon those efforts, bringing back a customer service focus to our employees.”
Putland officially began as chief human resource officer on Jan. 1.
Fox and Jones respectively thanked the search chairs for these positions — Tricia Clasen, dean of the College of Integrated Studies and assistant vice chancellor of the Rock County campus who chaired the business dean search, and Sara Deschner, assistant dean in the College of Business and Economics who chaired the chief human resource officer search — as well as the search and screen committees, for their able leadership and strong work in recruiting and reviewing the candidates.