Helen L. Mamarchev was chosen as the new Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs on Jan. 4. Prior to accepting her position at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Mamarchev has worked as the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at Illinois State University for six years, and at the University of Florida as Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs for 17 years. She will assume the position on March 12.

What will your role be at UWM? What kind of duties will you perform as Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs?

My main duty is to support the academic mission of the university. We are also looking at the organizational structure

What has attracted you to working in a college environment?

Well, I discovered that this can be a career and that I really have a passion for working with students. The more I have worked in this area, the more I enjoy it. And no two days are ever the same, I really like that.

What is your top priority or issue to address as Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs?

The role of residence halls on campus. We need to find more space for students. I will be having a discussion with the chancellor to see how we can address that and other issues. Overall, I’m pleased with the plans in place to improve the situation and we need to keep pushing those plans ahead.

How can the university improve retention rates, especially among freshman? And how does the on-campus living situation tie into that?

That is one of the topics we addressed at our conference today. Students living in residence halls generally have higher retention rates. We recognize the challenges we have as a landlocked university and have to deal with issues like where the additional buildings will go and how we can pay for it. Freshmen also need to understand the responsibility of taking advantage of the resources around them so that they can be successful making the transition from high school to college. It can be a difficult transition.

What is your stance on the parking situation around campus?

With a campus somewhat landlocked and the amount of commuters here, parking is always going to be an issue. But I do not really have enough information yet to comment on the situation.

What attracted you to UWM?

The opportunity to work in a more urban setting was attractive to me. I see UWM as a school on the move and that is what attracted me to coming here.

With UWM being “a school on the move” and the strong focus on being a powerful research-based university, what do you think the school must do to attract the kind of students to take it to the next level?

We need to make sure that our resources are being used effectively and efficiently so that the programs, activities and services the university provides can best ensure student success.

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