Robin Van Harpen
Robin has served as the Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administrative Affairs since 2012. Robin started at UWM in the Office of Legal Affairs in January of 2001, serving as the Associate Director of the Office from 2002 to 2004, and as Director beginning in 2007. As the Director of the Office, Robin oversaw the work of the office and communicated frequently with UWM administration on a wide variety of issues impacting the campus.
Prior to joining UWM, Robin was a Principal Associate at the law firm of von Briesen & Roper, s.c., where her primary client base was comprised of public school districts. Robin received her law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995, where she was a Note and Comment Editor for the Minnesota Journal of Global Trade (now the Minnesota Journal of International Law). She graduated from Northwestern University in 1992, Phi Beta Kappa, with a bachelor of arts in economics and art history.
The Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administrative Affairs is the chief financial and business officer for UWM, providing leadership and direction to the university in all areas involving financial management, strategy, and infrastructure. The Vice Chancellor establishes policies and procedures affecting long-range institutional plans and projects and oversees the division’s operating units.
The Office of the Vice Chancellor exercises executive and administrative direction over:
- Financial and selected administrative operational programs
- Development and monitoring of budgets
- Coordination of and planning for capital construction, repairs, and renovations
- Management of land acquisitions
- Operation and maintenance of facilities, grounds, and other aspects of the campus infrastructure
- Development and operation of technology infrastructure and enterprise IT services
- Space utilization
- Research and workplace safety programs
- Campus security and protective services
- Legal advice and representation