India-born Dr. Manohar Singh, interim president of Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut, has been named the next Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh. Singh will assume the leadership post on July 1.
“We feel that Dr. Singh possesses the talent and skill to harness the energy on campus and lead it into a bright future,” said Regent Ashok Rai, chair of the Search and Screen Committee, announcing the unanimous approval of Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents.
Singh has served as interim president of Western Connecticut State University since 2023. Prior to that he was Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut.
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He has held leadership posts at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California; Penn State University Abington in Abington, Pennsylvania; and Long Island University Post in Brookville, New York. He has also been a professor of finance at several universities.
“As a first-generation college graduate, Manohar Singh believes in the power of higher education to improve lives and is a collaborative leader who builds consensus,” said Jay Rothman, president of the Universities of Wisconsin. “His background in finance and administration will further benefit UW-Oshkosh.”
“I am moved by the passion of UW-Oshkosh students pursuing their dreams, the devotion of faculty mentoring them with compassion and rigor, and the dedication of staff ensuring student success every step of the way,” Singh said. “They are the reason I believe in the promise of this university—and the boundless potential of what we can achieve together.”
At Western Connecticut under Singh’s leadership, the university reached financial stability, reversed years of enrollment decline, expanded athletic programs and introduced new academic offerings.
Singh earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Punjab University-Chandigarh, India, as well as a master’s degree in economics from University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. He earned a Ph.D. in finance from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.
Singh succeeds Andrew Leavitt, who plans to teach chemistry at UW-Oshkosh after a year away at another university.