Chancellor
Dr. Renée Wachter
University of Wisconsin-Superior | Tenth Chancellor
“Education has the power to expand opportunity, strengthen communities and prepare students to lead lives of purpose and impact”
In the News
UW-Superior Chancellor Renée Wachter appointed interim president of Universities of Wisconsin
May 8, 2026
About Chancellor Wachter
Renée Wachter is the tenth chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Superior. She joined the UW-Superior campus community in July 2011, following a distinguished career of innovation and leadership in higher education, serving in both faculty and administrative roles at a variety of institutions. Previously, she served as Founding Dean of the School of Business at Truman State University, Missouri’s designated highly selective public liberal arts and sciences university.
Commitment to Transformative Education and Student Achievement
Chancellor Wachter believes deeply in the transformative power of education to expand opportunity, strengthen communities, and prepare students to lead lives of purpose and impact. She is committed to fostering learning environments that encourage innovation, critical thinking, and learning across the lifespan, while ensuring students are equipped to succeed in an increasingly interconnected and rapidly changing world.
Prior to her work at Truman State, Chancellor Wachter was Associate Dean of the School of Business and Founding Director of the Bracken Center of Excellence in Undergraduate Business Education at Montana State University, where she developed initiatives focused on faculty development, student success and career readiness. She also served as Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Programs in the School of Business at the University of Indianapolis, where she helped pioneer master’s-level advanced certificates, expand corporate outreach, and develop customized corporate master’s programs, while overseeing campus, executive and international MBAs, Master of Accountancy, and MBA/MSN programs.
Earlier in her career at Ball State University, she emphasized applied learning in the Department of Management and served as Director of the Technology Lab. Throughout her academic career, Chancellor Wachter taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in statistics, management, and information technology strategy and technologies.
Chancellor Wachter earned a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems, with minors in marketing and statistics, from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing, with a minor in mathematics, from the University of Kansas. Her research and publications focus on the impact of technology on communication, decision-making, and negotiation, as well as team composition and the success of international joint ventures.
Key Achievements Through Collaboration and Partnerships
Among the accomplishments achieved during Dr. Wachter’s tenure as Chancellor at UW-Superior are significant advances in student success initiatives, strengthened community partnerships, expanded access to higher education, and transformational campus development projects made possible through the collaborative efforts of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners.
Link Center
Fostering collaboration between UW–Superior, regional employers, schools and community organizations.
Online Programs
Expanded high-quality online degrees for place-bound and nontraditional learners across the region.
Pruitt Center
Nationally recognized center for mindfulness and student well-being, resilience and mental health.
During this time, UW-Superior established the Link Center to foster meaningful collaboration among the university, regional employers, schools and community organizations in support of workforce and economic development. The university has also expanded high-quality online academic programs designed to meet the needs of place-bound and nontraditional learners, while investing in campus facilities that enhance the student experience and support long-term institutional growth.
Throughout her tenure, UW-Superior’s commitment to student well-being has also grown through the work of the Pruitt Center for Mindfulness and Well-Being, which has received national recognition for its innovative and holistic approach to supporting student mental health, resilience and overall well-being. These collective efforts reflect a shared commitment to innovation, access and student-centered success across the region and state.
