Richard D. Ringeisen became Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Springfield on April 1, 200l. Since his arrival, UIS has grown into a full-fledged four-year university with a new curriculum for the first two years and become a national leader in online education. The physical campus has also grown with construction of a technologically sophisticated classroom building, Recreation and Athletic Center, and numerous townhouse residences for graduate students. Another residence hall is now being constructed and will open in August.  In addition, UIS has developed a rich cultural life, including music and performing arts, and become one of four major art venues in Springfield. The list of athletic programs has been expanded to include men’s basketball, women’s softball, and men’s and women’s golf. The university’s grassy quad has also been expanded and features a colonnade.

Before coming to UIS, Dr. Ringeisen was vice chancellor for academic affairs and chief academic officer at East Carolina University for five years.  Previously, he was dean of the College of Sciences and professor of mathematics and computer science at Old Dominion University for three years and on the faculty at Clemson University for 14 years, serving the last five years as head of the mathematical sciences department.

While at Clemson, he spent one year on leave at the Office of Naval Research in Arlington, Virginia, including eight months as the acting chief administrative officer for the mathematical science division.

Dr. Ringeisen’s first academic appointments were at Colgate University and Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne.  He has authored nearly 60 scholarly publications in mathematics, mentored six Ph.D. students, and received more than $750,000 in research support.

He earned a bachelor of science and high school teaching certificate in math and chemistry from Manchester College in Indiana in 1966; a master of science in math from Michigan State University in 1968; and a Ph.D in mathematics, with a specialty in graph theory, also from MSU, in 1970.

Dr. Ringeisen serves on the Policies and Purposes Committee of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and is a member of the Manchester College Board of Trustees in North Manchester, Indiana. At the local level, he is a member of the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Council for the Quantum Five Economic Development initiative and the Executive Committee of the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast in Illinois.  He also serves on the boards of The Springfield Project, Urban League, and Hope School.

Dr. Ringeisen’s wife, Carolyn Byrer Ringeisen, is an active partner with her husband in the many special events and activities at the university.  She is a member of the foundation board of the Springfield Boys and Girls club and also serves on the board of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. She is a member of the Symphony Guild, the City Garden Club and Lake Garden Club, and is a volunteer at Grace Lutheran Food Pantry.

The Ringeisens have two married children and five grandchildren.  Their daughter, Heather Lynn, earned a Ph.D. in child clinical psychology at Auburn University and is a senior research psychologist at the Research Triangle Institute in Raleigh, North Carolina. Their son, Bradley Richard, earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a physical chemist at the Naval Research Labs in Washington, D.C.