Edward Seidel

The University of Wyoming announced Wednesday that Edward Seidel has been named its 28th president.

A scholar who has led academic, research and innovation programs at multiple universities, Seidel is currently the vice president for economic development and innovation for the University of Illinois System. He was offered a contract by a unanimous vote of the UW Board of Trustees Wednesday and will take office in July.

“I am honored and thrilled to be selected by the Board of Trustees to take on this important role for both the university and the state of Wyoming,” Seidel said in a news release. “UW is such an incredibly strong and vibrant institution, and it will have an enormous impact on the future of the state and region.”

The terms of Seidel’s contract are still being finalized, but it will be a three-year contract with an annual base salary of $365,000, a $60,000 housing allowance and a $50,000 contribution to a deferred compensation plan.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Seidel and are confident that he will provide strong leadership for our state’s university,” Board of Trustees Chairman Dave True said, calling Seidel “an outstanding choice.”

Gov. Mark Gordon said there were several good candidates, and Seidel rose to the top.

“Ed has demonstrated visionary leadership and brings a strong focus on economic development,” Gordon said in a statement Wednesday. “His exceptional technical and scientific background will benefit the research efforts of a land grant university.”

He welcomed Seidel and also complimented trustees and the search committee “on a thorough and thoughtful process.” Gordon had written the trustees a pointed letter last year, urging them to resist the temptation to “insert a familiar face into the top position.”

The university has gone through multiple presidents in recent years, with trustees abruptly deciding last year not to renew the contract of President Laurie Nichols. Neil Theobald has been serving as the university’s interim president.

In Seidel’s current post in Illinois, he has overseen economic development and innovation activities that build on the University of Illinois System’s education and research capacity and “strengthening the links among higher education, research and business.” He oversees the system’s commercialization pipeline and the early-stage technology investment firm Illinois Ventures, which has catalyzed over $1.7 billion in venture funding for companies.

Seidel says he looks forward to traveling around Wyoming to become more familiar with its people and issues facing the state. His top priorities include building on the portfolio of excellence in education and scholarship already at UW, and deepening partnerships with communities, schools, community colleges and companies to enhance student-centered programs and educational pipelines that grow UW’s enrollment and strengthen the state’s workforce for the 21st century economy.

Seidel received his Ph.D. in relativistic astrophysics from Yale University, earned a master’s degree in physics at the University of Pennsylvania, and received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from the College of William and Mary.

He has supervised dozens of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in physics, astronomy, computer science and other disciplines, and has published about 200 papers in professional journals.

The hiring process started last July. A 16-member committee was composed of UW trustees, faculty, staff, alumni and students, along with a former governor.

More than 60 people applied to be UW’s next president. After interviewing semifinalists in February, the board publicly identified Seidel and two other finalists and brought them to campus for public forums last week.

The leaders of UW’s faculty, staff and student senates participated in the interviews and Board of Trustees discussions, and they praised for the process used to select the new president in statements.