Profile for Joe Gow

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Joe Gow
Chancellor
Chancellor's Office
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
Brief biography
Dr. Joe Gow became the 10th Chancellor of UW-La Crosse in February of 2007.
Throughout his administrative career, Chancellor Gow has consistently furthered liberal arts and professional academic programs to enhance student success. He has a wealth of experience from both public and private universities in strategic planning, enrollment management, external relations, and fundraising. Dr. Gow also has led efforts to redesign curricula, strengthen shared governance, and promote highly inclusive and diverse campus communities.
Chancellor Gow has served as the President of the National Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences and as a member of the editorial board of the journal Popular Music and Society. He has authored a number of publications on popular music and news media, and serves on the boards of several civic organizations in the La Crosse area. In his spare time he is a guitarist and blues singer. The chancellor also is a vegan and runner.
Education
Chancellor Gow received his B.A. degree in Journalism from Penn State in 1982; his M.A. in Speech Communication from the University of Alabama in 1985; and his Ph.D. in Speech Communication from Penn State in 1989. He also completed the Management Development Program at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 1998.
Career
Professional history
Previously, he served as both the Interim President (2006) and Provost (2004-2006) of Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln. And earlier in his career Chancellor Gow was the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Minnesota’s Winona State University (2001-2004), as well as both the Associate Dean of Liberal Arts & Sciences (1996-2001) and the Director of the Communication Studies Program (1990-2001) at Alfred University in Upstate New York. While at Alfred he was a three-time recipient of the Alfred University Excellence in Teaching Award.