Living in Fond du Lac, Patrick Guilfoile grew up in the outdoors learning about snakes, frogs and turtles and honing his interest in biology.
“I grew very interested in the outdoors and living things,” said the interim chancellor at University of Wisconsin-Stout. “One place I remember was Eden. There were lots of ponds. My folks had a cabin in Door County, so we spent a lot of time outdoors.”
Biology always fascinated him, leading Guilfoile to teach high school in Greenwood and eventually going into higher education so he could devote more time to studying biology.
He graduated from Northland College with a degree in biology and outdoor education, earned his Master of Arts in teaching biology from UW-Eau Claire and his Ph.D. in bacteriology from UW-Madison. He also did a stint as a postdoctoral fellow at the Whitehead Institute at MIT.
“I don’t know how you can really fall in love with bacteria, but I did,” Guilfoile quipped.
He was a faculty member at Bemidji State University, where he also became a department chair, associate dean and associate vice president for academic affairs. Guilfoile became the provost and vice chancellor of Academic Affairs at UW-Stout in 2015.
He was interested in working in administration to help fellow faculty reach their goals and to have a greater impact on helping students succeed in their future endeavors.
Guilfoile started as interim chancellor Aug. 19, the day after Chancellor Emeritus Bob Meyer retired from a 32-year career at UW-Stout, the last five as chancellor. Guilfoile will continue the duties until a new chancellor is hired by the UW System Board of Regents, scheduled for this December, and takes office sometime in 2020.
Guilfoile announced to campus Monday that he will not be a candidate for the permanent position. “My role as interim chancellor is to make life easier for the new chancellor coming in and to try to make sure things are set up so the new chancellor can be successful,” he said.
That involves continuing a number of initiatives Chancellor Emeritus Meyer had implemented, such as the Pathways Forward comprehensive campaign to raise money for student experiences, learning environments and program innovation. The campaign is nearing its aspirational goal of $40 million and runs through June 2020.
Guilfoile had high praise for the university, stating. “I do think it is a wonderful institution, and I am impressed how focused people are here with students and student success and how much people recognize the polytechnic guideposts as we do our work,” he said.
Responding to a question about challenges, he said, “the biggest challenge is the budget. We still will have some significant challenges based on the funding we are getting from the state and our enrollment.”
Guilfoile said the people make UW-Stout special and are why he enjoys working at Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University. “I have felt very fortunate to work with great folks both in the offices as well as faculty and staff on campus,” he noted. “Another element of that is wanting to make a difference for students. Higher education has been incredibly important for me in my life, and I want to make sure that students have that same kind of transformative experience that I had.
“We are here as an educational institution to help students become better versions of themselves. That’s very fulfilling and makes me want to work as hard as I possibly can to make sure we are achieving those goals,” he said.
For the past four years, Guilfoile has written Stout Stories for the Dunn County News that features UW-Stout faculty and staff. “What I hope to get across is the amazing people on campus,” he said. “The fun part that I enjoy about it is the opportunity to meet people and have a conversation and understand what makes people tick.”
He sees the stories as part of an effort to “help build a positive image of the university and what happens here.”
When Guilfoile was named interim chancellor, UW System President Ray Cross said he was confident UW-Stout was in good hands under Guilfoile’s leadership and direction.
Guilfoile’s first job outside of college was as a whitewater rafting guide and kayak instructor. His lifelong love of the outdoors continues. “I’ve done everything from hiking, backpacking, canoeing, kayaking, ice climbing, rock climbing and whitewater rafting,” Guilfoile said.
He and his wife, Audrey, enjoy backpacking and other outdoor activities.
Last year on the Pacific Crest Trail and the John Muir Trail, Guilfoile broke an ankle while hiking and had to be airlifted out of the area. The injury didn’t slow his love of hiking and backpacking. This summer he climbed Mt. Katahdin in Maine and did a four-day backpacking trip with his wife and son in the Sawtooth Mountain Wilderness area in Montana.
He and his wife hope to return next year to the John Muir trail to finish the trip that was interrupted by his ankle injury. He also wants to backpack on the Torres del Paine National Park W trek in Chilean Patagonia. “It is considered one of the top hikes in the world,” Guilfoile said. “As I understand, the mountains are dramatic, they are these sharp, spiky peaks and there are a lot of lakes and high elevation.”
UW-Stout is Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, with a focus on applied learning, collaboration with business and industry, and career outcomes.
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Photos
Patrick Guilfoile
Guilfoile and his wife, Audrey, enjoy the view during a backpacking trip to Washington's North Cascade's National Park.
