Eric W. Fulcomer, PhD, became president and CEO of the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU) in December 2022. WAICU represents the 22 private, nonprofit institutions of higher education in the state. Dr. Fulcomer is also president and CEO of the WAICU Benefits Consortium, the WAICU Educational Technology Consortium, the WAICU Multiple Employer Retirement Plan Collaboration, and the WAICU Retirement Readiness Church Plan Collaboration.
Dr. Fulcomer is a member of the Wisconsin Technology Council and sits on the Steering Committee of “Future Wisconsin,” a project of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. He is a member of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities State Executives (NAICUSE). He is a member of the national Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and the American Council on Education (ACE). Dr. Fulcomer is a member and current vice chair of the Wisconsin Distance Learning Authorization Board (DLAB). He is also a member of the Wisconsin College Savings Program Board, a member of the Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council, and a member of the Governor’s Council for Workforce Investment. Dr. Fulcomer is a Gubernatorial appointee to the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board (ECB)(Senate Confirmation Pending).
Previously, Dr. Fulcomer served for more than six years as Rockford University’s 18th president. He has thirty years of administrative work at independent colleges in Ohio and Illinois, mainly in student life and enrollment management.
In addition to his work in higher education, Dr. Fulcomer was active in several areas of the Rockford community. He served on several boards, including the Golden Apple Foundation, Alignment Rockford Governing Board, Rockford Leaders, and the Rockford Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the Executive Committee for the Associated Colleges of Illinois, the Executive Committee for the Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities, the Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference, UW Health Northern Illinois (Swedish American Health Systems), Rockford Christian Schools, the Kobe College Corporation – Japan Education Exchange, and was a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Presidents Council.
Along with Dr. Fulcomer’s extensive background in higher education, he also served for eleven years as an elected official in Bluffton, Ohio, holding the positions of Village Councilmember, Village Council President, and Mayor.
Dr. Fulcomer received his doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Toledo, his master’s degree in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University, and his bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature, cum laude, from Eastern Michigan University.
WAICU is recognized in state statutes (§§ 15.185(5)(c), 15.377, 15.67, 15.675(1)(c), 16.979, 36.31(2m)(a)3, 39.285, 39.30, 39.395, 39.41, 39.435, 39.437(4)(a), 39.49, 115.297, 118.19(1c)(a), 118.55, 440.52(11)(d)) and 2011 Governor’s Executive Order #37, 2012 Governor’s Executive Order #59, 2013 Governor’s Executive Order #97, 2015 Governor’s Executive Order #147, 2018 Governor’s Executive Order #270, 2019 Governor’s Executive Order #37, and 2021 Governor’s Executive Order #151 as the official organization of Wisconsin’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities.