The Wisconsin state Senate unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday, March 20, honoring the life and accomplishments of the late University of Wisconsin-Stout Chancellor Emeritus Charles W. Sorensen.
The resolution was authored by state Sen. Patty Schachtner, D-Somerset, whose 10th Senate District includes UW-Stout. Schachtner took office in January after winning a special election to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of former Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, who joined Gov. Scott Walker’s administration.
“Chancellor Emeritus Sorensen was known as a nationally-recognized innovator in higher education,” said Schachtner. “Through his tenure, he has guided UW-Stout to reach more students, expand degree options and maintain the university’s incredible employment rate. His passion for UW-Stout, students and the surrounding community was well-known, and I am proud to author this resolution as a tribute to his legacy.”
UW-Stout Chancellor Bob Meyer thanked “Sen. Schachtner and the entire state Senate for passing this tribute to Chancellor Emeritus Sorensen’s life work at UW-Stout.”
Meyer succeeded Sorensen in August 2014. “This resolution means a lot to me personally, as well as to UW-Stout and Chancellor Emeritus Sorensen’s family and friends,” he said.
Sorensen, 77, died Feb. 23 in Florida of complications from a stroke. He served as chancellor at UW-Stout for 26 years.
The resolution, co-authored in the Assembly by state Rep. Rob Stafsholt, R-New Richmond, notes that Sorensen was the longest-serving chancellor in UW-Stout’s 127-year history. The resolution says that Sorensen’s “persistent leadership and innovative vision were the catalysts” for many of the school’s accomplishments over that time, including winning the 2001 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and being designated Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University by the UW System Board of Regents.
The enrollment of the university grew by 31 percent under Sorensen, the resolution said, and the number of undergraduate majors doubled.
A copy of the resolution can be found at http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2017/related/proposals/sjr114.
More information on Sorensen’s life and career is available at www.uwstout.edu/about-us/meet-our-leadership/rich-history/remembering-chancellor-emeritus-charles-w-sorensen.
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Charles W. Sorensen
