By Brian Fraley, Dairyland Sentinel
Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents President Amy B. Bogost and Executive-in-Charge Chris Patton have officially appointed the 23-member Search and Screen Committee tasked with identifying the next leader of the state’s flagship university.
The move comes 95 days after Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced she would leave the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Chris Patton is executive-in-charge of the state’s university system following the Board of Regents voting to fire the previous system president, Jay Rothman, for unspecified reasons earlier this month.
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Dr. Eric Wilcots, currently the Dean of the College of Letters & Science, will serve as interim chancellor. His term is set to begin on May 17, 2026, following Chancellor Mnookin’s departure after spring commencement
Additionally, the Board of Regents confirmed that the first meeting of the search committee has not been scheduled. A specific deadline for a final hire has not been established, though the university stated the committee will convene in the “coming weeks” to receive its formal charge.
“UW-Madison is a world-class university that embodies the Wisconsin Idea in communities all across the state,” Bogost said. “It will be our goal to find a leader that accelerates the university’s reputation for excellence in teaching, research discovery, and public service while driving innovation in a rapidly changing higher education environment.”
Bogost noted the weight of the task, stating that “the work of this committee over the coming months is critical to the future of the university and the state of Wisconsin.”
The process involves an initial screening by the 23-member group, which will then recommend a slate of finalists to a smaller Special Regent Committee. That group, chaired by Bogost and including Regents Haben Goitom, Jack Salzwedel, Karen Walsh, and Kyle Weatherly, will make the final hiring recommendation to the full Board of Regents.
So then, once the 23-member committee recommends a slate to the Regent subcommittee, and that subcommittee recommends a finalist, then the full UW Board of Regents will vote whether or not to hire the finalist.
The search committee, which has not yet started this search process, includes:
- Amy Bogost (Chair), President, Board of Regents
- Annie Jones (Vice Chair), Professor, UW-Madison Division of Extension
- Haben Goitom, Regent
- Jack Salzwedel, Regent
- Karen Walsh, Regent
- Kyle Weatherly, Regent
- Charles Isbell, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
- Lori Reesor, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
- Stacy Rolston, Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources
- Srivatsan Chakravarthy, Professor, School of Medicine and Public Health
- Melinda Leko, Professor, School of Education
- Vikas Singh, Professor, School of Medicine and Public Health
- Dietram Scheufele, Professor, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
- Susan Thibeault, Professor, School of Medicine and Public Health
- Ananth Seshadri, Professor, College of Letters & Science
- Li Chiao-Ping, Professor, School of Education
- Gail Coover, Academic Staff, College of Letters & Science
- Terry Fritter, University Staff, Facilities Planning & Management
- Zubaidat Agboola, Student
- Yogesh Chawla, Alumnus and Community Representative
- Jim Berbee, Alumnus and Community Representative
- Corey Chambas, Alumnus and Community Representative
- Willadene Bohen, Community Representative
