The new chancellor of the University of Illinois' Urbana campus is a world-recognized leader in biochemistry, a groundbreaker for women and minorities in higher education administration, the former leader of Washington state's biggest university and a "sports student" more than a sports fan.

Phyllis Wise, 66, has been to the University of Illinois campus twice before, both for scientific conferences.

She knows the Midwest from graduate school in Ann Arbor.

The provost turned chancellor is giving up the Cascade mountains and Puget Sound of the Seattle area because "Illinois is one of the great, great universities, with such strength in so many different areas."

Only last month, President Michael Hogan announced the UI will be able to give merit raises after years of drought.

The situation may be far worse in Seattle.

"We have a cut of over 50 percent of our state (education) budget in the last three years," she said. "It's been quite a journey to think about strategic investments and strategic cuts."

She said she understood there would be similar balancing acts at Urbana.

"Recruitment and retention is the crucial centerpiece of a great university," Wise said.

Nicholas Burbules, a professor in the College of Education, served on the chancellor search committee but would not discuss the process. He did say Wise's credentials are impressive.

"She's respected as a member of national academies, and really understands the mission of a top-tier research institution," Burbules said.

"Given her background in biomedical research, and the recent hire of a vice president of research, I think this reflects a growing institutional investment in biomedical resources, both at this campus and increasingly in working with Chicago," he said.

Physics Professor Douglas Beck, who headed the search committee, also declined to discuss the process.

"We are very excited that Phyllis Wise has been chosen the next vice president and chancellor of the Urbana campus. President Hogan has made a wonderful choice," he wrote in an email. "Phyllis brings strong records of both scholarship and academic guidance to the position. With her leadership, we look forward to being able to capitalize on the many opportunities afforded our extraordinary faculty, students and staff."

Joyce Tolliver, the chair of the executive committee for the Urbana senate, also praised the new chancellor, as well as the search process itself.

"I know the driving principle of the chancellor search was that this campus deserves nothing short of a world-class leader and scholar to serve as its chief executive officer," she said, also in a email. "It is to the great credit of Doug Beck, the members of the search committee, and President Hogan that our new chancellor is all that, and more."

Wise has Urbana connections in her personal life.

Richard Meisinger — an assistant dean at the University of Washington School of Medicine who also worked with Wise when they were at the University of California-Davis — is her partner of the last nine years.

He has a master's degree in nuclear engineering from the Urbana campus.

Her son-in-law also studied the viola here. Her daughter, Erica Wise, is a cellist, and son, Andrew Wise, is a lawyer.

Like Hogan, who was long a working historian, Wise will probably have to give up or diminish her research interests for now.

"I have a (National Institutes of Health) grant in its last year, and I will leave it in Washington with my graduate students," she said.