UW-Madison and Universities of Wisconsin System are looking for new leadership, with recruitment for the new UW-Madison Chancellor and UW System president underway, according to a press release from UW System media relations Director Mark Pitsch.
Together, filling the two vacant positions is expected to cost more than $461,000, according to a contract review done by the Wisconsin State Journal.
The leadership search comes after UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin left the university in May to become president of Columbia University, according to UW News.
Former UW System President Jay Rothman was fired by the Board of Regents in April, according to a UW System press release. Rothman is the first president to be fired in University history, according to previous reporting from The Badger Herald.
The process by which a new system president and UW chancellor are selected includes the selection of search committees for each position who will then recommend finalists to the UW Board of Regents for appointment, according to the UW System Presidential Search Prospectus.
For the chancellor search, a 23-member Search and Screen Committee was chosen this past April, which will identify and interview candidates, according to a chancellor search committee press release. President of the UW Board of Regents Amy B. Bogost serves as chair of the committee made up of professors, trustees and students from UW-Madison, according to the chancellor search committee press release.
“We are very interested to learn from campus stakeholders what qualities they wish to see in the next leader at UW–Madison,” Bogost said in the committee press release. “Faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the broader Madison community, are encouraged to join and give us their thoughts about what the ideal candidate can bring to the position.”
A similar 25-member Presidential Search Committee has been established to help identify the next UW System President, led by Regent Ashok Rai, according to the prospectus. The committee is made up of students, alumni and provosts, including recently elected UW-Madison Provost John Zumbrunnen, according to the prospectus.
The UW System hired outside firms to support the committees through this process, according to WSJ. Boston-based firm Isaacson, Miller has been selected for the chancellor search and Washington, D.C.-based firm AGB Search for the presidential search, according to WSJ.
In June, the Board of Regents hosted listening sessions and created a survey for the UW-Madison community to provide input on the candidate selection for both positions, according to a listening sessions press release from UW System.
The public listening sessions for both searches have resulted in thoughtful feedback from the University community and stakeholders, according to Pitsch in the listening sessions press release.
“The Universities of Wisconsin are seeking forward-looking leaders for UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin who can help shape a strong future for higher education in our state,” Pitsch said in an emailed statement. “Through established search processes and with the assistance of nationally recognized search firms, we are developing strong candidate pools and advancing the work needed to identify outstanding leaders for these important roles.”
The application for UW-Madison chancellor closes on Sept. 10, with a campus visit from finalists scheduled for fall 2026, according to the prospectus.
The new UW System president is anticipated to be selected later this year, according to a press release on the UW System presidential search committee.
UW-Madison junior Jack Timm shared his hopes for the next chancellor to be dedicated to the Wisconsin Idea.
“I believe that Chancellor Mnookin utilized her position as a springboard to the Ivy League, and I want the next chancellor to be someone who is fully devoted to Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Idea,” Timm said. “Her crackdowns on student free speech were incredibly disappointing, as Madison has historically been a bastion of political activism and change, and our students cannot drive movements when their voices are suppressed.”
Timm sees interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots as a qualified leader and would be excited to see him step into a permanent role at UW-Madison.
Dr. Eric Wilcots was named interim chancellor of UW-Madison in February, taking over for Mnookin May 17, according to previous reporting from The Badger Herald.
UW-Madison junior Quintin Torres similarly supports Wilcots for permanent chancellor.
“I am hoping that the next chancellor is someone who has ties to the university, and Wilcots has been at Wisconsin for 30 years,” Torres said. “I want the next chancellor to be someone who can relate to the student body and reaches out to students out of a sense of curiosity and devotion to improving the university as opposed to doing so in hopes of nailing a future job interview. I do expect that the Regents will once again look outward for the next chancellor, so I’m not keeping my hopes too high for Wilcots, but I do hope that whoever the future chancellor is, they’re willing to make a long term commitment to the university.”
Rothman served as president of the multi-campus UW System for the past four years before his termination in April – leading over 165,000 students, according to the Associated Press. Rothman claimed he was told to either resign or be fired, but had not been given a reason, according to the AP.
Chancellor of UW-Superior Renée Wachter, was named interim president of the UW System effective May 18, according to the Board of Regents.
Torres had the chance to meet Rothman last year and felt he was committed to the interests of UW-Madison and the entire UW System.
“I’m hoping that the next system president will still be determined to advocate on behalf of all 13 universities, continue to push for more state funding that has lagged behind for the last two decades and will reject any plans to split Madison off from the rest of the UW System,” Torres said.
