Rebecca Blank’s influence can be seen in some unexpected places.
It’s embedded in a nationwide breast cancer database that examined how long patients could delay surgical treatments at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s noticeable in research endeavors she helped make possible. It’s found, subtly, in portraits hanging at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
The announcement for the memorial service of Rebecca Blank came with a specific request from her family: Wear red, in honor of the former University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor who died Feb. 17 of pancreatic cancer.
University and government officials and community members celebrated former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank’s life Saturday in just the way she planned — a sea of Wisconsin Red, German chocolate cake and plenty of Diet Coke.
Madison community members gathered this weekend at the First Congregational United Church to commemorate the legacy of Rebecca Blank.
Under Evers’ proposal, released Tuesday, nearly $1.8 billion would go to the UW System — about three-quarters of the System’s requested $2.4 billion. In his previous budget two years ago, Evers proposed $1.1 billion for the UW System, with Republicans ultimately approving $629 million.
“We thank Governor Evers for prioritizing this critical project,” UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said in a statement. “I look forward to continuing to work with lawmakers to share the tremendous value of an engineering facility, both to grow our number of engineering graduates and for our world-changing research in areas ranging from clean energy to semiconductors to transportation, areas that are critical to the economic development of the state.”
When news broke of former Chancellor Rebecca Blank’s death on Feb. 17, notes from university faculty, former colleagues and the greater University of Wisconsin-Madison community poured in, expressing admiration of the legacy left behind by the leader. Blank’s influence not only left a mark within the bounds of campus, but far beyond the confines of Madison and well before her time served as chancellor too.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison says a memorial service for former Chancellor Rebecca Blank will be held on March 4.
UW-Madison will hold a memorial service for former Chancellor Rebecca Blank on March 4, with a dress code of Wisconsin Red encouraged.
— Rebecca Blank dies at 67; renowned economist led the University of Wisconsin: “Blank was president-elect of Northwestern University last year when a cancer diagnosis led her to step down,” via The Associated Press.
Former UW Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank has died. Blank, who led the university for nearly a decade, died Friday. She served as the school’s chancellor from 2013 to 2022, before leaving to become president of Northwestern University.
Barni Shiferaw crossed paths with Rebecca Blank several times during his senior year at UW-Madison. As the vice president for the Class of 2022, he met with Blank to talk about changes the student body wanted to see.
“It was an honor for me,” he said. “There’s not a lot of people at this campus who have the combination of the intelligence that she does, but then also the personability to make these things happen.”
UW-Madison botany professor Katherine McCulloh sees former Chancellor Rebecca Blank as one of her heroes.
The former chancellor had a profound impact on Wisconsin, including Badgers’ athletics. Here is a look at her career at UW in photos.
“Obviously, her love for the university stood out,” McIntosh said in an exclusive interview with BadgerExtra on Saturday. “Her support of our program. But even closer to home, her support of our student-athletes. She understood the impact of athletics here and what it can do for the people that come through our program. She was there every step of the way to help support us.”
In her near-decade of tenure at UW-Madison, she accelerated the university’s research programs, achieved record-high graduation rates and developed scholarship programs catering to low-income students within the state. Her work also expanded the number of faculty and students, as well as put the campus’ finances back on track after the pandemic brought losses in revenue.
Video: The University of Wisconsin announced on Saturday that former Chancellor Rebecca Blank died at 67. Her legacy and life leave a profound impact.
Video: federal and state leaders pay tribute via social media.
After a seven month-long battle with an aggressive form of cancer, Blank passed away peacefully with her family by her side, according to Mnookin’s message. Blank was 67 years old.
Rebecca M. Blank, an economist and educator who served in high-level U.S. government and academic positions and, for nine years, as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, died of cancer on Feb. 17 near Madison, Wisconsin. She was 67.
UW-Madison announced Blank’s passing on Saturday. She served as the school’s chancellor from 2013 to 2022, before leaving to become president of Northwestern University. She announced last year that she would not be taking the position after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
Former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, who helped put a university education in reach for low-income students through the Bucky’s Tuition Promise, steered the university through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and brought billions in gifts and donations to expand research enterprise, died Friday of cancer. She was 67.
One of the longest-serving chancellors in recent UW-Madison history, Blank is credited with gaining the ability to enroll more out-of-state students, launching a full-tuition scholarship program for low-income Wisconsin students, and leading a $4 billion fundraising campaign. She’s remembered for smaller gestures, too, like bringing commencement back to Camp Randall Stadium.
Blank passed away Friday evening after a seven month battle with cancer, according to an email sent by current Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin to the campus community.
A former University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor died of cancer on Feb. 17, the UW System said on Saturday.
Blank served as chancellor in Madison from 2013 up until last year when she announced plans to move to Northwestern University. Blank withdrew from that role after her cancer diagnosis.
Students on the UW campus said most of their peers knew of the former chancellor’s cancer diagnosis announced in July, but her death shocked many.
Last May, Rebecca Blank was discussing what she regarded as the major unresolved issues she would leave behind at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She was preparing to join Northwestern after that, but in July 2022, she announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer and would step down from her role as president-elect in order to focus on her health and her family.
Rebecca Blank, an economist who served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has died, less than a year after announcing that she had an aggressive form of cancer. She was 67.
Tributes to former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank have been pouring in from around the world since news of her tragic death came out Saturday. Now, the person who knows her best is also sharing a tribute.
The Bucky’s Pell Pathway program, introduced on Thursday, will meet full financial needs for four years for new first-year Wisconsin residents students who quality for Pell Grants. Transfer students can also take advantage of the program and receive funding for two years if they meet the same criteria.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is expanding its tuition promise program to cover not only tuition for some low-income students, but nearly all other college costs that can derail progress toward a degree, such as room and board.
The program, which Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin introduced Thursday to the Board of Regents, will meet the full financial need for those who qualify for Pell grants. Those federal dollars are limited to undergraduates with exceptional financial need but often don’t cover the full cost of school, causing many recipients to take out extra loans.
The goal of the program, called Bucky’s Pell Pathway, is to help alleviate the disadvantages students from low-income families frequently face. The assistance is only available to in-state students, and no state funds are used for either the Pell Pathway or the Tuition Promise program.
The UW Board of Regents on Friday handed out 2% raises to nearly all University of Wisconsin System chancellors, which is in line with 2% salary increases taking effect for all UW employees at the start of 2023.
Additionally, Rebecca Blank stepped down from the top executive post at the University of Wisconsin at Madison to replace the outgoing Morton Schapiro at Northwestern University—only to back out of the position after she was diagnosed with cancer shortly before she was due to start.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is launching a search for a new provost, an administrative position ranking just second to the chancellor in terms of importance.
The current provost, John Karl Scholz, will serve until the end of the school year and then return to the economics department, where he has taught since 1988. A new provost is expected to start sometime next summer, UW-Madison announced Tuesday.
In one of her first public appearances since being diagnosed with cancer this summer, former University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank received recognition from another Big Ten school with a room named in her honor.
University of Wisconsin-Madison administrators are working to educate members of Students for Justice in Palestine on the harm caused by their antisemitic messages, after the messages were chalked around campus overnight before the first day of the fall 2022 semester, according to officials.
Some were with Republicans who reacted coolly in May to her selection as the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s 30th chancellor. The former UCLA law school dean drew the kind of initial GOP skepticism that met predecessor Rebecca Blank when she arrived as a former President Barack Obama cabinet member in 2013.
Vice Chancellor Lori Reesor and Deputy Vice Chancellor LaVar Charleston, the university’s chief diversity officer, said while such statements aren’t against the law or campus policy, they do “violate our norms and actively work against the culture of belonging for which we are striving.”
This year, UW-Madison is ushering in around 8,600 freshmen — the largest freshman class in the university’s history — and about 1,100 new transfer students. The freshman class was selected from a pool of over 60,000 applicants, which Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said was “one of our most competitive years ever.”
UW-Madison’s new chancellor visited Milwaukee Wednesday, Aug. 10 to meet with dozens of new and returning students at 3rd Street Market Hall.
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin has been on the job six days as of Wednesday. She says with more applications than ever before, they’re looking forward to the school year.
Enrollment officials say they have more applicants this year than ever before, signaling that hesitation over COVID-19 precautions isn’t as bad as it once was.
“Our enrollment stayed pretty strong. But we are able now to have the full immersive experience that really is how we think our students learn best,” said Mnookin
Dr. Jennifer Mnookin, the incoming chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses her intentions to address challenges facing the institution, including the cost of attendance, student diversity and relationship with state government.
The incoming chancellor of the state’s flagship university officially started working on August 4 and already had a long “to-do” list for the campus – from ensuring tuition affordability, to working to attract and retain more students of color, to planning for any spike in COVID-19 infections among incoming students and staff. Perhaps the most vexing of issues before Mnookin, the former UCLA School of Law Dean, is the university’s relationship with the majority Republican Wisconsin Legislature, whose Assembly Speaker criticized her appointment because of what he called “her whole-hearted support of Critical Race Theory” and support for vaccine mandates. Mnookin said she has not yet met with Rep. Robin Vos R-Rochester, but looks forward to doing so.
“I will be listening very carefully to public health professionals just as Becky Blank did to try and find the balance in keeping our community safe while also protecting the education and the strength of the experience of being here as best as we can,” said Mnookin.
Photo story.
Over 80 UW Madison staff members and community members have signed an open letter calling for increased COVID protections on the UW-Madison campus.
On her first day as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jennifer Mnookin said she is working to build a “bold vision” for the state’s flagship campus by connecting with stakeholders, including state lawmakers who opposed her chancellorship.
Photo gallery of the ice cream social on Bascom Hill.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison welcomed its new leader Thursday on historic Bascom Hill with ice cream made from the campus dairy shop and the Badger Band playing “On, Wisconsin!”
With the fall semester starting soon, a group of students, faculty and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are urging new Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin to consider strengthening the campus’ COVID-19 policies.
In honor of her first day on campus, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin invited the UW community to an ice cream social. Students, faculty, and staff gathered on Bascom Hill to mingle with their new leader while enjoying a sweet treat.
Jennifer Mnookin spent her first day on campus meeting with students, faculty and campus leaders as she takes on the role as UW-Madison’s 30th chancellor.
Mnookin, who comes to Madison from her previous role as dean of the UCLA School of Law, said her primary goal is to have conversations with UW-Madison students and staff and community and state leaders to discuss ways to keep UW-Madison affordable, while also addressing challenges like accessibility, funding and diversity.
A photo gallery from Chancellor Mnookin’s first day.
New University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin met with students and staff members Thursday during an ice cream social to mark her first day on campus.
Blank, who spent eight years as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, had been named as the school’s 17th president and the first woman to lead Northwestern. Current president Morton Schapiro has been asked to stay on while the search for his successor resumes.
Former University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank is stepping down as president-elect of Northwestern University after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
