As dean of UW-Platteville’s College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture, Dr. Wayne Weber presides over a wide range of academic programs, all of which seem to be introducing new, imaginative initiatives at the same time. Weber embraces all these projects the same way he approaches every day at the university, with a positive attitude and keeping the student experience as the primary focus.
You have been with the university since 1996. What brought you to UW-Platteville and what keeps you here?
What brought me here was when I was interviewing, I was really looking for a student-focused comprehensive university. Although Colorado State (his former school) is a wonderful university, it’s an R1 (research university). I wanted to be where the focus is on students. When I came here, I knew nothing about Platteville, except for the world’s largest M, and didn’t know much about Wisconsin. I always joke with my students that I knew three things: beer, brats and cheese. And I like all three of those! I came here and was pleasantly surprised how beautiful the Driftless Area is. The campus was all about the students, and I immediately fell in love with this place. Since that time that love has done nothing but grow. The focus is still on students. Our mission and vision say “THE student-focused university” and to me that’s what it’s all about. From the administration to the faculty and staff, there is a distinct commitment to that. The enthusiasm and passion towards that is something I love.
Your role has grown tremendously over time. When did you start thinking about being part of the administration?
That’s interesting because I took over as Biology Department chair in 2002 and that was before I had tenure. Some of my colleagues across campus said I was crazy. We were at a pivotal time, I felt, and so it was the right time. Our department felt we needed to go in a different direction, and I wanted to be part of that. When I stepped down and was back in the faculty role, which I love being part of the student-learning environment, I was called and asked to apply for the interim dean position. My original inclination was no. But after time and talking to more people, I decided to apply. I wanted to help move the university forward. As the first interim position went through the year and the national search was happening, I found I liked being a dean and really enjoyed working with the faculty and staff. Learning about the entire college was really exciting to me. What our faculty and staff are doing and what our students are doing make it really exciting. I became the permanent dean in 2012. Again, the short answer is I love this institution, and I want it to be successful.
Let me list off a few things you have going: new branch campus degrees, Dairy Innovation Hub, Boebel Hall renovations, Russell Hall lab expansions, proposed physicians assistant program with UW-Madison. How in the world do you find time for all of this?
That’s a really good question. I have always believed in the power of we. We have an excellent college leadership team, made up of department chairs and directors and assistant deans. I’ve been blessed that the team, although individuals change, has always been very, very skillful. It’s great working with them. They are part of how we move all this forward. Same goes for the faculty and staff. They have such passion and dedication. When they come up with ideas, my role is how can I help make those happen. So how do I balance this? I’m not really good at that, to be honest. I put a lot of time in but I put it into an institution I love.
Do you have a particular pet program, something that you are really passionate about?
We have so many great things going on, but the PA program is one. Ever since I became a faculty member, I have been interested in healthcare. I was fortunate enough to see the cadaver lab come to fruition in 2002, and that was one of my dreams. Knowing that there is a huge demand in healthcare that won’t be going away anytime soon, I want to see how we can develop leaders. We do an excellent job, especially in the biology department, of developing pre-professionals. Now how do we take the next step? Can we transition to not only an undergraduate program for healthcare professionals, but also a graduate program? The PA program is a perfect fit, especially because the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health has done wonderful things there. They have an interest in collaborating with us. I would say that is one of my favorite initiatives.
Despite everything that goes on and all you have on your plate, you remain one of the most positive people at this entire university, and so many people respect you for that. How do you stay so positive? Where does that come from?
We have such a great institution here, and it’s great to be a part of it. I’m so thankful to be an active part of it and work with faculty, staff and students. I’m just really, really thankful. We all face significant challenges in our lives. There’s an adage that if everyone put their problems in a hat, and you pull out someone else’s problems, you would want yours back. I try and keep that perspective and feel so lucky, so blessed to be part of UW-Platteville. We at this university are able to come to a job where we make a difference every day because this institution has such a major impact on the region, state, nation and beyond. To be a part of that, where we can work together to make a difference, and in doing so, make a difference, every day… how lucky we are!