Dr. Dwight C. Watson has been named the 17th chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.

Watson comes to UW-Whitewater from Southwest Minnesota State University, where he currently serves as provost and vice president of academic and student affairs. In this role, he worked to improve student achievement, institutional diversity and inclusion, and transfer pathways, while also removing barriers to student success.
He will begin his tenure at UW-Whitewater on August 1, 2019.
“I am inspired by UW-Whitewater’s commitment to providing its students transformational and empowering education experiences,” Watson said in a news release. “As a first-generation college attendee of modest means, I found that higher education provided me the functional, navigational skills that I needed to access future opportunities. With a focus on access, affordability, service, and success, my work now is to inspire learners to achieve and to remove barriers for students so they can have access to greater opportunities.”
Prior to Southwest Minnesota State University, Watson has worked at the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and Hamline University. He earned an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of South Carolina and an Ed.D. from North Carolina State University.