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UW Provost Spear Will Retire Two Months Earlier

Associate Vice Chancellor Virginia Sapiro Will Serve As Interim Provost.

UW-Madison Provost Peter Spear will retire two months earlier than planned — in October rather than December — and longtime fellow administrator Virginia Sapiro will fill the job on an interim basis.

UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley announced the top-level shakeup Wednesday in a release praising Sapiro as a “seasoned leader” who could serve ably as the campus’ top academic officer at least until a permanent successor is found in the spring. Sapiro, an associate vice chancellor for teaching and learning, will be UW-Madison’s first female provost.