Vicki Lord Larson

The Vicki Lord Larson Endowed Scholarship was established in 2000 in honor of Vicki Lord Larson, the first woman to serve as Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. The scholarship recognizes students at UW Oshkosh for their academic and leadership activities.

Vicki Lord Larson (1944-2019) was a first-generation college graduate. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 1966, a master’s degree in 1968, and a Ph.D. in 1974 in Communication Sciences and Disorders from UW-Madison. She joined UW Oshkosh in 1991 as dean of the Graduate School and Research, having previously worked at UW-Eau Claire as a professor and administrator. She was named acting provost in August 1994 and went on to served as Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs from April 1995 to September 2000. She left UW Oshkosh to serve at UW-System, as a consultant conducting research on the experiences of female students, faculty, and staff in the UW-System. Vicki retired from UW-Eau Claire as the Interim Chancellor in 2006 and was honored with the title of Chancellor Emerita by the Board of Regents.

Vicki was a founding member of Wisconsin Women in Higher Education Leadership and worked tirelessly throughout her career to support the advancement of women and minorities in Wisconsin higher education. As a researcher, advocate, and role model, Vicki’s work inspired and encouraged other women to pursue leadership opportunities. For these sustained efforts on behalf of women, Vicki was recognized in 2005 with the Wisconsin Women in Higher Education Leadership Outstanding Achievement Award.