“If you go to a university and the vice presidents are not very diverse, that’s the president’s fault because they hire all the vice presidents,” Wilcox says. “And if the deans aren’t diverse, that’s the provost’s fault because he or she hires all the deans. And if the department chairs aren’t diverse, that’s the dean’s fault.” With those ideas in mind, Wilcox says he made it a point during his 12-year run as chancellor to keep a watchful eye on how leadership positions are being filled.
“Once you do that, things become a lot easier,” Wilcox says. “I’m very proud of the diversity we have in our leadership on the campus, and I can tell you, it makes a positive difference in the whole operation, not just in the quality of the conversation [and] the decisions but also the respect that the campus has for us collectively.
“They can see that we are of the community in real ways and that helps give everything a credibility that you can’t have if we’re all old white guys, making decisions,” he adds.
Colleagues credit Wilcox – a vocal critic of college rankings that exclusivity – with being a staunch advocate for equitable opportunities and fostering an environment where people feel valued and heard.
“With unwavering commitment, Chancellor Wilcox champions diversity and inclusivity,” says Dr. Denise Woods, Vice Chancellor of Health, Well-being and Safety at UC Riverside and an assistant clinical professor in the School of Medicine. “His empowering leadership style encourages his staff to take risks and explore new ideas, resulting in numerous groundbreaking initiatives.”
Dr. Deborah Deas, Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences at UC Riverside, says the university has been “forever transformed by the visionary and transformative leadership” of Wilcox.
“Under his guidance, UCR experienced remarkable growth—in student enrollment, research achievements, and institutional recognition,” Deas says. “Notably, the university was admitted to the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), earned the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, and saw the addition of several new buildings that expand UCR’s infrastructure.”
Deas, who serves as the Mark and Pam Rubin Dean at UC Riverside’s School of Medicine, further credits Wilcox with playing a “pivotal role” in the inception and growth of the medical school, which she says holds the “ambitious mission of training a diverse physician workforce to serve Inland Southern California.”
“I am especially grateful for his support and commitment to inclusive excellence,” says Deas, who says that support “directly contributes” to the school’s expansion, the development of the state-of-the-art Center for Simulated Medicine, and the construction of the new Medical Education II building.
“As a national leader in social mobility, Chancellor Wilcox left an indelible mark on both the local community and the broader region,” Deas says.
Wilcox says there are things he wishes he had done differently. In an effort to improve the university’s academic as well as its physical infrastructure, Wilcox says he “probably went too far too fast.”
“I should have been a little more tempered in my approach early on,” says Wilcox, who faced criticism from faculty early in his career for what one news article described as the “wholesale replacement” of top administrators and being disconnected from faculty.
Despite the early turbulence, Wilcox’s name will be a familiar one on campus for generations to come, owing largely to the fact that on May 8 the university renamed Campus Drive – which loops around the university – as Kim Wilcox Drive.
“This renaming is more than a change of signage — it’s a celebration of leadership, legacy, and the spirit of partnership that defines our campus community,” Michael Richards, associate chancellor, told Inside UCR, a campus newsletter.
Kim Wilcox and his wife, Diane Del Buono, have contributed $100,000 on at least two separate occasions to the Chancellor’s Research Fellowship, an endowed fellowship they helped create in 2014. The fellowship benefits undergraduates such as Ariana Gonzalez- Alcazar, a Hispanic studies major who is researching attitudes in dual immersion education, and Christian Macaluso, a bioengineering major who is researching infant physical models for the testing of soft wearable technologies.
“With his upcoming retirement, Chancellor Wilcox is leaving behind an indelible legacy of integrity, thoughtfulness, kindness, and bold innovation,” says Woods. “His sharp wit and humor, paired with a humble demeanor, make him a beloved figure among colleagues and students alike.”
Wilcox earned a Bachelor of Arts in audiology and speech sciences from Michigan State University, as well as a master’s and doctoral degrees in speech and hearing science from Purdue University. His research focuses on speech acoustics.
Prior to becoming chancellor, Wilcox served as provost at Michigan State, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas, and president and chief executive officer of the Kansas Board of Regents.
Asked what he is looking forward to most in retirement, Wilcox says he’ll enjoy not having to set his alarm clock for 5:30 or 6:30 a.m., visiting nieces and nephews and being able to travel with his wife to see parts of the world they’ve never seen.
