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Category: Chancellor

UW leaders, Wisconsin medical researchers defend NIH funds amid uncertainty

Wisconsin Public Radio

Researchers at the Universities of Wisconsin defended their work in medical research on Thursday as they face uncertainty amidst federal funding cuts.

UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin warned of the danger of “indiscriminate reductions in research funding,” and medical and scientific researchers argued that funding from the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, is critical to their work.

Trump Orders Could Drain Millions From Universities, but Few Protest Openly

The New York Times

During a Faculty Senate meeting that was streamed online on Monday, Jennifer L. Mnookin, the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, urged professors to “hold off” on optional expenses so the university could help ensure that “you’re making smart choices.”

“The transition has created for us an enormous amount of uncertainty, combined with fast-moving and changing information,” she said. “It’s generated some potentially quite significant threats to important aspects of our mission, as is true for our peer institutions nationally.”

Here’s what’s at stake in Madison and Wisconsin if federal grants are blocked

Wisconsin State Journal

The pause in federal funding is “significant and concerning” for UW-Madison, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and other leaders said in a statement.

UW-Madison is encouraging most federally funded research to continue, outside of a “small number” of unspecified stop-work orders aimed at a handful of researchers, the statement said.

He dropped out of UW in 1999. A new program covering college costs for Native students brought him back

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Schuyler, who is an enrolled Oneida Nation citizen, earned a scholarship to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the 1990s. He dropped out when he was 21 credits short of earning his bachelor’s degree.

The radio broadcast described a new UW-Madison program launching in fall 2024.It would cover not only tuition but room and board, books and other expenses, to enrolled members of Wisconsin Native American tribes.

 “That was my sign,” Schuyler said.

Madison changed in 2024, with new leaders, BRT and a shocking tragedy

The Capital Times

UW-Madison started offering six weeks of paid time off to eligible employees in July, after the birth or adoption of a child. Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin celebrated the move. “The truth is that this isn’t going to be terribly expensive to implement,” Mnookin said in April, when the policy was announced.

The university community said farewell to a long-standing fixture on campus when “the Shell” was torn down this fall. UW-Madison’s athletics department plans to build a new indoor football practice facility next to Camp Randall stadium. The $285 million project is needed to remain competitive with peer institutions, especially at a top-tier football program in a northern climate, athletics department officials said.

UW-Madison’s record-breaking research spending fuels rise in national ranking

Wisconsin State Journal

The university announced the ranking change Monday alongside an announcement that it had spent a record-breaking $1.7 billion on research for fiscal year 2023, a 13.7% increase over the prior year. UW-Madison’s growth outpaced the national increase of 11.2% spent on university research and development, bringing the national amount spent to $108.8 billion.

Former UW-Superior chancellor says diversity of experience is key for successful college presidents

Wisconsin Public Radio

he average tenure of university presidents is on the decline.

Nine of the 13 Universities of Wisconsin chancellors assumed their post over the past four years. That tracks with data from The American Council on Education, showing the average tenure of college presidents is roughly six years, down from 8.5 years in 2022.

A new book by a former UW-Superior chancellor digs into why college leaders are vacating these powerful positions. The book profiles seven presidents who stayed at their institutions and brought them through difficult times.

Students, faculty say being Black at UW-Madison isn’t easy

Wisconsin Public Radio

Black student enrollment at the state’s flagship university has never surpassed 3 percent of the student body, according to data from the Universities of Wisconsin. In 2023, 1,327 students out of 50,335 identified as Black, about 2.6 percent.

This year, the percentage of underrepresented students of color in the freshman class dropped by 3.7 percentage points from last year to 14.3 percent, according to UW-Madison data.

A UW-Madison student’s racist video stirred outrage. Now, new ideas have been offered to improve campus climate

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A racist social media video featuring a University of Wisconsin-Madison student consumed the campus in spring 2023. A Black student advocacy organization formed. Protests staged. A petition signed, to the tune of 67,000 signatures. And an ad-hoc group formed to study the Black experience on campus.

Chancellor Mnookin reflects on free speech, student housing, protest violations during media roundtable

The Daily Cardinal

A lot has been on University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s plate since the spring.

Between a 12-day pro-Palestine encampment and juggling the university budget process, she’s had to carefully tread an upcoming election with a student body that has divided perspectives. Mnookin and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor sat down with campus media Tuesday to discuss free speech efforts, the affordable housing shortage and protest culture.

Looking To The Future By Reckoning With The Past With UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin

Black Like Me Podcast with Dr. Alex Gee

Dr. Gee has an in-depth conversation with University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin on what the university is doing to improve the sense of belonging for students of color. Their discussion covers Dr. Gee’s participation in a committee working to recognize the universities history with students of color and what can be done moving forward. The committee will be releasing a report soon with their findings and recommendations. Chancellor Mnookin shares about her plans and initiatives in this role at the university and how she sees that they are developing so far.Jennifer L. Mnookin is the 30th leader in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s 175-year history, and one of the nation’s top legal scholars.

UW-Madison chancellor pay to top $1 million in 2025

The Daily Cardinal

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved chancellor pay raises and bonuses for student retention in a closed session meeting Monday.

The new compensation plan will see UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s current $811,512 annual salary increased to $892,663. She will also receive a philanthropic bonus of $150,000 for staying at UW-Madison through mid-2025 and $50,000 for each year she stays afterward until June 2029.

Student demonstrator outlines agreement with UW-Madison leadership

WORT FM

On Friday, nearly two weeks after UW-Madison students pitched their tents on Library Mall, they reached an agreement with the university’s administration.

This afternoon, Dahlia Saba, a media liaison with Students for Justice in Palestine, told our News Producer Faye Parks that – while the agreement does signal a small step forward – it doesn’t address their primary demands.

After 12 day-encampment, UW-Madison protesters reached deal. Why? And what’s next?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

There’s nothing like the threat of a disrupted commencement ceremony to get a deal done.

With tens of thousands of visitors descending on Madison for graduation weekend and protester numbers uncertain for the summer, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the campus’ Students for Justice in Palestine chapter cut a dealFriday.

UW-Madison protesters agree to end encampment

Wisconsin State Journal

Pro-Palestinian student protesters at UW-Madison agreed Friday to dismantle their illegal encampment on Library Mall and refrain from disrupting this weekend’s commencement after campus officials agreed to several of their demands, including helping students present their concerns to decision-makers about how the university’s endowment is invested.

Universities of Wisconsin, UW-Madison to offer paid parental leave

The Capital Times

The new policies give eligible employees six weeks of paid time off following the birth or adoption of a child. The change comes after UW-Madison faculty and staff lobbied administrators to implement such a policy.

“I’m really happy that we’re in a position to be able to announce this,” Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin told faculty at a meeting Monday. “This has been something I’ve wanted to bring to conclusion, and there’s been interest in this for a very long time.”

UW-Madison, UW system propose 6-week paid parental leave policies

Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison and the Universities of Wisconsin are each proposing a paid parental leave policy granting six weeks of leave for the birth or adoption of a child, following more than a decade of studying its feasibility and increasing pressure from faculty and staff.

UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said Monday that adding paid parental leave allows the university to stay competitive in recruiting graduate students and employees, and catch up to other local private businesses and governmental agencies that already offer it.

UW-Madison’s Missy Nergard and Paul Robbins discuss new sustainability initiative

WORT-FM

UW-Madison’s new Sustainability Research Hub is scheduled to launch this spring – as part of a campus-wide initiative Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced earlier this month.

The initiative’s stated goals range from promoting collaborative research to achieving net-zero emissions by 2048. WORT News Producer Faye Parks spoke to Missy Nergard, UW-Madison’s director of sustainability, and Paul Robbins, dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, to learn more.