The University of Wisconsin announced Thursday Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration Laurent Heller will be leaving his position at the university and Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning & Management Rob Cramer will take over.
According to a UW news release, Heller is taking a similar position at Johns Hopkins University. In the news release, Chancellor Rebecca Blank congratulated Heller on the new position, but said he will be missed at the university.
“His contributions over the past five years can’t be overstated in helping stabilize our finances and move numerous important initiatives forward,” Blank said. “We’re very lucky to have Rob, with his past experience and skills, ready to step right in.”
The announcement comes at the end of a year of push back from the ASM student council over COVID-19 relief funding, which led to the council taking a vote of no confidence in Heller.
In an email statement to The Badger Herald, ASM Chair Matthew Mitnick said Heller was difficult to work with and did not listen to student calls to hold UWPD or Rich Yaeger — the university employee who hit a student with a motorcycle at a protest — accountable.
“He has refused to meet with and work with ASM on the COVID-19 Student Relief Fund, especially since we decided to compromise with the administration and meet them in the middle on a more feasible proposal,” Mitnick said. “I am optimistic that Vice Chancellor Heller’s successor will choose to meet with their students … [and] the COVID-19 Student Relief Fund will move forward.”
According to the UW press release, Heller has worked for UW since 2016. As VCFA, Heller oversaw the budgets, facilities planning, business services, human resources, public safety and University Housing.
In the UW press release, Heller said he is grateful for his time at UW and all he was able to achieve.
