Chancellor For a Day Tradition Returns to UVA Wise

After nearly a four-year pause due to COVID-19, UVA Wise resumed its Chancellor for a Day tradition last week.

The annual event gives students the opportunity to compete to become leader of the College for one day, while UVA Wise Chancellor Donna P. Henry takes their place, attending their classes and assuming their schedule.

Students compete for the honor by donating nonperishable items to Smiddy’s Cupboard, the College’s pantry that assists with eliminating food insecurity, and the Wise County Food Bank.

This year’s student Chancellor for a Day was junior Dylan Galenski, a management information systems major from Culpeper, Va. Galenski plans to go into a career in cybersecurity after graduating.

The day kicked off with a switch at the Twinleaf Clock, where Henry and Galenski reversed roles. Chancellor Galenski was then introduced to his new office, while student Donna Henry headed off to her Principles of Marketing class.

After looking over his packed schedule, Chancellor Galenski said that he was most interested in the meeting with the marketing department later that day, joking that he hoped he wasn’t the one giving the presentation. He then became acquainted with his new digs while also learning more about the history of Bowers-Sturgill Hall and UVA Wise.

“I’d kind of joked around about becoming the Chancellor once the competition was announced, but then I thought about what would happen if I actually participated and won. So, I decided to try. I’m very competitive, so I really wanted to win,” Galenski reflected.

Galenski began his campaign going door-to-door and asking his neighbors if they’d like to donate.

“I also sent the list of accepted goods to my mom, who then put it on Facebook. I couldn’t believe the response after that. I got in several Amazon packages of goods, along with monetary donations to go out and purchase more myself,” Galenski said. “The help from my community back home really made a difference.”

Throughout the day, Chancellor Galenski participated in various meetings, seeing what a day in the life of a UVA Wise Chancellor was really like. After a meeting with the Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement, Galenski took a tour of the Oxbow Center in St. Paul, Va.

Meanwhile, student Henry attended Galenski’s Principles of Marketing class, worked out at the Winston Ely Health and Wellness Center and had lunch at Chick-fil-A. She then spent her midday hanging out in the Slemp Student Center, even managing to catch up with Chancellor Galenski for a fun game of ping pong. Henry even gave Galenski a thoughtful midgame reminder that he had a marketing test next week, which was met with a lot of laughs.

“It’s wonderful being able to resume this tradition,” Henry said. “It has always been a great opportunity for me to remember and better understand what the life of a student is like. I enjoy attending their classes and doing their routine.”

Henry added that this was the first year she had donned a backpack and iPad on behalf of a student who is a management information systems major, so, she said, “It was fun to learn some new things.”

Chancellor Galenski finished the day with meetings, where he contributed to campus master plan designs and learned about alumni engagement, but not before stopping by Books & Brew for an afternoon latte to get him through the rest of his packed schedule.

Student Henry finished her day by attending Introduction to Computer Interaction, one of Galenski’s most interesting classes.

After an interesting, fun-filled day they made the switch back in the Chancellor’s office.

“It was a very cool experience. I learned a lot about the college, as well as the daily tasks of Chancellor Henry. I had a lot of fun and would recommend more students trying for it next year,” Galenski added.

This event marks Chancellor Henry’s seventh year of participating in the tradition, an opportunity that she, too, relishes.

“It’s important for me to spend time out and about on campus—to be able to spend time with students and hear their opinions about what they enjoy or what might be missing from UVA Wise is very important,” Henry concluded. “The Chancellor is also learning a lot today, and I know the Senior Leadership Team will gain a lot of insight from his perspective moving forward.”