Executive Senior Vice President for Administration
Background Summary
Donald J. Mash, chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire from Aug. 1, 1998, through February 2005, is a graduate of a regional public university in his home state of Pennsylvania, where he was a first-generation college student. He has worked for over 40 years in leadership positions in higher education.
Throughout his career, Dr. Mash, 65, has been a strong advocate for student growth and development during the college years. He continually encourages students to become actively engaged in their education and to pursue a wide range of co-curricular experiences to complement their intellectual development. He also believes that a primary outcome of an undergraduate degree should be civic awareness and a propensity for engagement in public service following graduation.
Dr. Mash supports an aggressive public service role for regional public universities. He has positioned and promoted each of the campuses he has served as a regional center for music and the arts and for cultural and recreational activities, and as a catalyst for community and economic development activities.
His tenure at UW-Eau Claire (1998-2005) was marked by a commitment to enhancing students' college experience by emphasizing a dynamic living and learning environment, providing students numerous opportunities to grow intellectually and personally in and outside the classroom. He also heightened the university's interactivity with the community, the region and other institutions of higher education. Known for his strong communication skills, Mash repeatedly advocated for the role of a regional public university in economic development efforts and in greatly enhancing the quality of community life. He became a spokesperson statewide for the importance of public higher education, regularly interacting with media and with powerful governance groups such as the UW System Board of Regents and state and federal legislators. An experienced fundraiser, he provided leadership for UW-Eau Claire’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised over $50 million.
Dr. Mash began his career in higher education as an instructor of geography at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. He then served as the dean of student services at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. For 13 years he served as a vice president at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and then was president at Wayne State College in Nebraska for 10 years.
He completed his Ph.D. at The Ohio State University in the higher education program, with an emphasis on student development. He has a bachelor's degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Career
2005-2008, Executive Senior Vice President for Administration, University of Wisconsin System
1998-2005, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
1988-1998, President, Wayne State College–Wayne, Neb.
1985-1988, Executive Vice President for Administration
1975-1985, Vice President for Student Affairs
George Mason University–Fairfax,
Va.
1968-1975, Dean for Student Services, Ohio Dominican College–Columbus, Ohio
1965-1968, Instructor for Geography, University of Pittsburgh-Bradford–Bradford, Pa.