Jennifer Mnookin forged compromises with protesters and politicians at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Now, she faces her biggest test.
An academic and a dealmaker takes on the challenge of running Columbia
The New York Times
Category: Higher Education/System
Columbia University anti-Israel group slams new president as ‘fascist’ over previous encampment bust-up
Fox News
Columbia University’s new president is already facing opposition from anti-Israel rabble-rousers, who have condemned her for previous actions taken against leftist encampments at her last college.
UW-Madison students, state leaders react to Mnookin’s departure
The Cap Times
Campus and community leaders are congratulating Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin as she prepares to step down as leader of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, Chris McIntosh on UW football
PBS Wisconsin
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and Athletic Director Chris McIntosh consider the performance of and expectations for the Wisconsin Badgers football team in a changing college sports landscape.
5 things to know about UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s departure
Wisconsin State Journal
he Universities of Wisconsin announced Sunday that UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin was hired as the new president of Columbia University. Mnookin will remain in her role through the spring commencement.
Here are 5 things to know.
Highlights of Jennifer Mnookin’s tenure at UW-Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
From her own ice cream flavor to a tense standoff with pro-Palestinian protesters and battles with the Legislature and the Trump administration over DEI, Jennifer Mnookin made a mark during her four years as chancellor at UW-Madison. On Sunday she was named the next president of Columbia University.
Here are highlights from her tenure in Madison.
UW-Madison chancellor Jennifer Mnookin tapped as Columbia’s president
Wisconsin State Journal
Almost four years after Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin stepped in to lead UW-Madison, Columbia University has tapped her as its new president.
Mnookin, 58, will succeed acting president Claire Shipman. Mnookin will remain in her role in Madison through spring commencement and start at the New York university on July 1, Columbia announced Sunday. Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said he will appoint an interim chancellor after her departure.
University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor Jennifer Mnookin leaving for Columbia
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin is leaving at the end of the school year for a job as president of Columbia University.
Mnookin, 58, started at UW in August 2022 after 17 years at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. A search for her replacement will begin later this year.
Chancellor Mnookin set to leave UW-Madison for Columbia
The Cap Times
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin is set to leave the University of Wisconsin-Madison after this school year to become the new president of Columbia University in New York.
Columbia University selects UW-Madison Chancellor Mnookin as its next president
Wisconsin Public Radio
Columbia University has selected University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin as its next president.
Mnookin has led the state’s flagship university since 2022.
In a statement Sunday, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman said Mnookin brought “unbounded energy, resilience, and deeply thoughtful leadership to the position.
Columbia Selects University of Wisconsin Chancellor as Its President
The New York Times
Jennifer Mnookin has led the flagship campus of the state university system since 2022. She takes the helm at Columbia after a tumultuous period.
University of Wisconsin–Madison Chancellor to Lead Columbia
Inside Higher Ed
Columbia University has selected Jennifer Mnookin, a legal scholar and current chancellor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, as its next president.
Jennifer Mnookin named next president of Columbia University
CBS News
Columbia University has named its next president.
The board of trustees has appointed Jennifer Mnookin to lead the university. Mnookin, 58, currently serves as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is a nationally recognized legal scholar.
She’ll start in the role on July 1.
UW-Madison cancels classes on Friday due to extreme cold
Channel 3000
UW-Madison is cancelling classes on Friday due to extreme cold.
Bitterly cold temperatures are expected to begin on Friday and continue into the weekend. An Extreme Cold Warning has been issued for Dane County from midnight to 1 p.m. Friday, with wind chills expected in the range of -30-40 F.
Evers says he might float increasing funding for UW System after projected state surplus
The Daily Cardinal
Gov. Tony Evers told The Daily Cardinal in an interview Wednesday he is in the process of negotiating with the Legislature what will be done with the state’s budget surplus, but does not have a specific answer whether the University of Wisconsin System will receive any additional funding.
UW senior auditors program fosters lifelong learning, connections
The Daily Cardinal
Through the Senior Guest Auditor Program, Wisconsin residents aged 60 and older take UW-Madison courses free of charge alongside students less than half their age. This fall, the program reached a record enrollment of more than 1,000 auditors, double the number enrolled a decade ago, according to program administrator Anne Niendorf. The program places older adults alongside traditional undergraduates in lecture halls across campus, creating multigenerational classrooms.
UW-Madison cancels classes Friday due to extreme cold
The Daily Cardinal
The University of Wisconsin-Madison cancelled Friday classes due to freezing weather conditions for the first time since 2019, according to a news release.
The cancellation of all lectures, labs and discussion sections comes after the National Weather Service placed Dane County under an Extreme Cold Warning from midnight to 1 p.m. Friday, with wind chills projected to range from 30 to 40 degrees below zero.
Education has seen unprecedented changes in Trump’s second term
Wisconsin Public Radio
Last year, just as she was finishing a teacher residency program through the University of Wisconsin-Madison, federal funding for the project was cut by the Trump administration.
“So we were in the spring semester and we were all like, are we going to be able to continue?” Lind said. “Are we going to still be able to get our teaching license? Are we going to have to pay this back?”
How UW-Madison decides when to cancel class during extreme cold or snow
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin-Madison canceled classes Jan. 23, though all other campus operations will continue as normal. It marks the 13th weather-related closure for the state flagship since 1965.
UW-Madison cancels classes Friday due to extreme cold
WMTV - Channel 15
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has canceled classes for Friday, January 23, according to a release.
Cold temperatures are expected to start Friday and continue through the weekend.
How UW-Madison decides when to cancel class during extreme cold or snow
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Only the chancellor or someone authorized to act on their behalf has the authority to cancel classes, suspend services or close the campus or any campus building to the public, students and employees.
The university’s general philosophy? Remain open whenever possible.
UW-Madison names inaugural leader of entrepreneurship hub
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison has picked its first leader of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurship Hub, the initiative launched last fall to encourage more startups on campus and boost Wisconsin’s economic growth.
Lewis Sheats will serve as associate vice chancellor and executive director. Sheats previously served as executive director of Saint Louis University’s center for entrepreneurship and spent two decades at North Carolina State University as assistant vice provost for entrepreneurship. His first day at UW-Madison is Feb. 2
A new Humanities building and other developments UW-Madison has in the works this year
Wisconsin State Journal
The doors of a new academic building will open, three-year-old scaffolding is expected to come down, and designs are being drawn up to revamp a historic site on UW-Madison’s campus in 2026.
Upcoming plans for development projects at UW-Madison signal another busy year of changes happening on campus. In 2025, UW-Madison notably opened a new building that houses its new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence: Morgridge Hall, a privately funded $267 million, 343,000-square-foot facility.
How Trump made life difficult for international students and Wisconsin
The New York Times
One of the first signs of trouble came last spring, when the Trump administration abruptly moved to deport scores of international students, including a handful at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
University officials were alarmed, well aware that around 8,000 students, 15 percent of its enrollment, were from abroad. And they worried that the looming deportations might spook prospective international students, said Frances Vavrus, the dean of the international division at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW campuses recognized for community engagement
WKOW - Channel 27
A number of University of Wisconsin schools are being recognized for their community engagement.
UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Milwaukee, UW-Parkside and UW-Superior are designated as Carnegie Community Engagement Classified campuses.
5 UW professors reflect on the year when Trump upended federal research
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Avtar Roopra’s research has effectively stalled since President Donald Trump started his second term and upended the federal research funding landscape. Agencies have cut projects, delayed grant reviews, fired thousands of federal employees who offer guidance to researchers and reduced the number of new projects getting funding.
“This is like the Holy Grail of epilepsy, what we’ve been looking for for hundreds of years,” Roopra said. “All of it is on hold. It’s extremely frustrating.”
Federal civil rights complaint against UW-Madison filed over scholarships
Wisconsin Public Radio
The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty filed a civil rights complaint against the University of Wisconsin-Madison on behalf of conservative students on campus.
The firm alleges the school is offering about two dozen race-based scholarships. WILL is asking the U.S. Department of Education to investigate “race-based practices” on behalf of its client, the Young America’s Foundation.
UW-Madison research foundation seeks next ‘diamonds’ amid federal cuts
The Cap Times
The organization is set to provide $206.9 million in total support to UW-Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research this school year, including $50 million toward research projects and nearly $36 million for faculty, graduate students and staff.
Now in its second century, the nonprofit faces challenges, though. The Trump administration’s widespread cuts to federal research funding could limit the number of discoveries coming to WARF.
UW campuses skew female
Isthmus
If your impression is that there are more female students than male students at UW-Madison, you’re not wrong.
In 2025, the university enrolled almost 1,000 fewer men (3,800) than women (4,744) as first-year students. Also, according to data from the university’s office of the registrar, male students are less likely to stay at the university and less likely to graduate on time than women.
Two new constitutional amendments could be on November ballots
Wisconsin Examiner
One of the proposed constitutional amendments, SJR 94, takes aim at DEI programs throughout state and local government in Wisconsin. Republicans have been targeting DEI programs for years and have at times found success, including when they elicited concessions from the University of Wisconsin system in 2023.
Report calls for centralization, consolidation at UW-Madison
Channel 3000
UW-Madison should centralize its human resources operations and consolidate its capital projects into one plan in order to improve oversight, a third-party report commissioned by the university recommends.
The report, which was completed by consulting firm Deloitte, highlighted issues with the school’s HR structure that led to inconsistencies in recruiting, payment and salary adjustment. The university was also found to have limited coordination on capital projects leading to inefficient planning.
AI, new leaders: 5 things to watch at the Universities of Wisconsin in 2026
Wisconsin State Journal
In 2025, the Universities of Wisconsin had another packed year.
The fallout from the Trump administration canceling students’ visas, federal funding uncertainty for research, the closure of a branch campus and downsizing of another, the rollout of new policies faculty called controversial and campuswide budget cuts at UW-Madison are just a few of the moments the State Journal covered.
5 most-read higher education stories in Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Journal
There were many hot topics in higher education in 2025. Here are five of them.
After UW-Madison demotes DEI leader, Deloitte recommends changes
The Cap Times
The consulting firm Deloitte is recommending changes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison following the demotion of the school’s diversity leader over financial concerns.
UW-Madison paid Deloitte $395,000 to evaluate its financial and budgetary controls between March and July 2025, according to Mark Pitsch, a spokesperson for the broader UW system, which signed the contract with the firm.
For 1st time since 2014, UW-Madison research ranks in top five nationally
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has reclaimed its status among the top five institutions nationally for research spending – the highest ranking the state flagship has earned since 2014.
UW-Madison’s national research ranking has been a sore spot on campus for a decade after the university fell out of the top five for the first time in nearly 45 years. It dropped to No. 8 in 2018. UW-Madison officials at the time attributed the slide in rankings to state budget cuts and the loss of senior faculty members.
UW-Madison ranks fifth nationally in research spending, tops $1.93 billion
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison is among the top five universities in the country for research spending — the highest ranking the institution has earned since 2014.
A National Science Foundation survey released Tuesday ranked UW-Madison No. 5 out of 925 universities for the $1.93 billion it spent for research in fiscal year 2024, which ran from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
Trump’s closure of national weather center may imperil UW-Madison research
Wisconsin State Journal
Established in 1960, the center says it provides “state-of-the-art resources, including supercomputers, research aircraft, sophisticated computer models and extensive data sets” to the atmospheric and related Earth system science community. It’s funded through the National Science Foundation.
Among other things, the center has helped improve early warnings in weather forecasts and air safety, the American Meteorological Society said in a statement.
Madison Hillel joins other universities in adding new role to respond to antisemitism
The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle
Aaron Seligman, a Madison native who previously worked for the Universities of Wisconsin, joined the cohort in February when taking on the new title of director of community relations at Madison Hillel.
The 13 professionals “take on the work of being that adult in the room that models and leads in relationship building with administrators, faculty and other Jewish communal professionals,” Simon said.
Seligman is focusing on areas the University of Wisconsin-Madison found specific needs for in the more than two years since Oct. 7. So far, Seligman has been “collaborating with the university administration on campus policies” and “engaging in media around campus climate and antisemitism,” Seligman said.
Wisconsin tech colleges viewed favorably by majority in new survey
The Cap Times
Two-thirds of Wisconsin residents hold a favorable opinion of the state’s 16 technical colleges, and a majority believe the state benefits from the education the schools provide.
Those are two findings from a statewide public perception study the Wisconsin Technical College System conducted online this spring, with over 2,300 adults completing the blind survey.
UW scientists alarmed by Trump plan to break up national weather research center
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists are sounding the alarm over a Trump administration plan to dismantle a prominent weather and climate research center, saying it could jeopardize the future of weather forecasting.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research is based in Boulder, Colorado, but is overseen by a consortium of universities, including UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. The center allows researchers to work together on large projects that no one scientist or university could do alone.
Why some majors are harder to get into than the college itself
Chicago Tribune
In the Midwest, Indiana, Purdue, and Illinois show similar bottlenecks. In the Northeast, Northeastern’s combined engineering-CS programs have become harder to crack than many Ivy divisions. Even the University of Wisconsin, once known for broad access, now reports sharply lower admit rates in engineering and data science.
For parents and students, the message is sobering: the real competition may not be “between” colleges, but “within” them.
Slumping attendance means slumping alcohol sales at Wisconsin football home games
Wisconsin State Journal
The number of alcohol unit sales at Badgers games at Camp Randall Stadium in 2025 fell 21% compared to the first year of availability at general concession stands in 2024.
That decrease was slightly more than the 20% falloff in the number of fans in the venue between the two seasons. Records obtained through public records requests showed there were slightly fewer alcoholic beverage units sold per ticket scanned in 2025 than in 2024.
What are the best study spots at UW-Madison?
Wisconsin State Journal
Daniel Sendelbach, a former student, sets out to find the best places to study on campus.
Wisconsin lawmakers propose bill to close school racial achievement gaps
WKOW
Wisconsin lawmakers are considering a bill aimed at closing the state’s racial achievement gaps in schools.
The legislation would allow the University of Wisconsin system to designate one high-performing charter school as a “demonstration public school.”
Filipinx American Student Organization advocates in response to discontinuation of UW Filipino language program
The Badger Herald
Starting in the fall 2026 semester, the University of Wisconsin’s Filipino language program will no longer be offered, according to Filipinx American Student Organization Communications Chair Ethan Ham.
The program’s elimination follows federal funding cuts by the Trump administration and the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education’s International and Foreign Language Education program that administers Title VI funding.
Title VI funding was established as part of the Higher Education Act and is used to support foreign language programs.
How much did you read the Cap Times in 2025? Take our news quiz!
The Cap Times
Which performers headlined concerts at Camp Randall Stadium in 2025, marking the venue’s first concerts in decades?
Under the terms of her employment contract, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin received a bonus this year for staying in her job and for “satisfactory” performance. How much did she receive from the bonus?
Mnookin’s base pay surpassed $892,000 by 2024 after pay raises for UW system employees and “catch-up base salary increases” for multiple chancellors. Her annual bonus for staying is set to increase each year, from $150,000 this year up to $350,000 in 2029.
College football ‘visionary,’ Wisconsin alum Chuck Neinas dies at 93
Wisconsin State Journal
Chuck Neinas, a longtime administrator in college athletics who was also a Wisconsin native and University of Wisconsin graduate, died Tuesday at 93.
The Oscar Rennebohm Foundation marks $100 million for Madison
Madison Magazine
Oscar Rennebohm — who would go on to a magisterial career that included serving as Wisconsin governor and president of the UW-Madison Board of Regents — opened his first Madison pharmacy in 1925. There were eventually more than two dozen Rennebohm’s that were purchased by Walgreens in 1980.
Across the years, major beneficiaries have included the UW School of Nursing, Edgewood University, Access Community Health Centers, the Henry Vilas Zoo — the list is long.
Wisconsin’s 32 Most Influential Black Leaders for 2025, Part 2
Madison 365
Dr. Earlise Ward is faculty director for the Cancer Health Disparities Initiative (CHDI) and co-director of the T32 Primary Care Research Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She conducts community-engaged clinical intervention research focused on African American adults’ mental health and culturally competent mental health services. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Baruch College, master’s degree in counseling and Brooklyn College and PhD in counseling psychology at UW-Madison.
Donald Dantzler is an alder for the City of Fitchburg, candidate for Dane County Board, and a Survey and Research Specialist for the Madison Metropolitan School District. He was previously faculty and adjunct faculty for UW-Whitewater, and has also worked as a research associate at Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory and a project assistant for the UW System Administration Office of Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Success. He earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UW-Whitewater and is a doctoral candidate in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis program at UW-Madison.
Winter commencement speakers stress uncertainty, disruption and a wavering job market
The Daily Cardinal
On one of the coldest days of the year, 2,151 graduates packed into the Kohl Center Sunday to walk the stage and celebrate their UW-Madison graduation. The ceremony featured speeches from UW Regent and former American Family Insurance CEO Jack Salzwedel, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, keynote speaker Grace Vanderhei and student speaker Jeeva Premkumar.
UW-Madison students graduate in Winter Commencement
Spectrum News
More than a thousand students walked across the stage at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the 2025 Winter Commencement.
UW-Madison nursing, education students fear new federal loan limits could threaten their careers
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison student Nai’Taija Williams McMorris is eyeing what’s next. Set to graduate from her nursing program next year, Williams McMorris aspires to enter the master’s program she needs to complete to become a nurse practitioner.
But new federal loan caps going into effect in July may reduce her and other Wisconsin students’ options to enter careers that require a graduate-level degree. The new law lowers the amount of money students seeking some advanced degrees, including nursing, can borrow in federal loans.
Wisconsin’s 32 Most Influential Black Leaders for 2025, Part 1
Madison 365
Maurice Thomas is chief operating officer at Greater Holy Temple Christian Academy, a 4k-8th grade Christian school in Milwaukee. He is an alum of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and expects to earn a master’s degree in education leadership from Harvard in 2027.
Jerry Jordan is a nationally-known painter working in the style of contemporary realism. He counts the unsung artists of the Harlem Renaissance as his artistic role models. By day, Jordan is an academic and multicultural advisor with the UW-Madison School of Education. He holds a degree in art from UW-Whitewater.
Dr. Bashir Easter is founder of Melanin Minded, a company that aims to empower Black and Latino communities by culturally appropriate resources and support for individuals affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. He began his career in elder care nearly 15 years ago with Milwaukee County as an elder abuse investigator, human services worker, and dementia care program specialist, and later served as associate director of the All of Us Research Program at UW-Madison.
UW system to get $54 million after mandated changes to gen eds, faculty workloads
Wisconsin State Journal
The Legislature is releasing $54 million for the Universities of Wisconsin now that the Board of Regents has fulfilled mandated changes to faculty workloads and students’ general education.
Legislative panel approves new teaching requirements for UW faculty
Wisconsin Public Radio
A Republican-led state legislative committee approved new teaching requirements for Universities of Wisconsin faculty Thursday, a condition of the bipartisan state budget passed this summer.
New UW teaching workloads, credit transfer rules pass final hurdle
The Cap Times
Starting next fall, full-time faculty and instructional academic staff at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee will need to teach at least one course per semester and a minimum of 12 credit hours each school year. Employees at the other 11 state universities face higher requirements.
All credits for general education courses must also be transferable and satisfy general education requirements across the universities by September.
‘We need each other’: UW-Madison faculty grapple with Trump administration’s higher education rhetoric
The Daily Cardinal
A panel of University of Wisconsin-Madison faculty called for higher institutions to rebuild public trust during a panel Dec. 3, sharing both hopeful and pessimistic sentiments about the Trump administration’s threat to higher education.
History professor Giuliana Chamedes said the ability of students, faculty and staff to speak up has been “central” to restoring democracy and academic freedom. She referenced similarities between the Trump administration’s policies and historical attacks on higher education from fascist regimes, highlighting higher education’s historical ability to overcome persecution.
Need a study buddy? Students explore AI tutors
The Daily Cardinal
As final exam season starts, many University of Wisconsin-Madison students are increasingly turning to a new kind of study partner — one that never sleeps, charges hourly rates or judges a panicked 2 a.m. homework question.
Artificial Intelligence tools like ChatGPT have become embedded in student life with 86% of students using AI in their studies, according to a study by the Digital Education Council, marking a rapid cultural shift in how students prepare for exams and complete coursework.
Trump promotes economy amid signs of a job market slowdown
Bloomberg
Flagship universities are typically the oldest, largest, and best-funded public research institution in a state, and an examination of those schools across the country find a wide variation in the nonpayment rate on federal student loans. The highest rate is at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, at 19%. The lowest rate — 4% — is found at the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. On average, across the 50 states, the nonpayment rate is around 8.5%, or 1 in 12 attendees of flagship public institutions, according to government data. Among the Ivy League schools, some of the most elite universities in the country, the rate ranges from 3% to 5%.
UW-Madison chancellor says new AI college will connect campus, serve most popular majors
Wisconsin Public Radio
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, who leads the University of Wisconsin-Madison, sees opening a new College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence as the right move to support in-demand majors and says funding the school won’t come at the expense of other areas of the university.