Among the 6,264 freshmen the University of Wisconsin-Madison ushered in this fall, the campus also welcomed a newcomer of a different variety in academic leader Sarah Mangelsdorf.
The newly appointed provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs arrived in Madison months before the start of the 2014-’15 school year, after serving as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University since 2008.
Mangelsdorf follows in the footsteps of Paul DeLuca, who announced he would be vacating the leadership role in June 2013 after serving five years as provost.
Aside from the campus’s apparent beauty, Mangelsdorf said it was UW-Madison’s history and foundation of seeking knowledge that drew her into the position.
“The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an amazing university with quite an American history in higher ed,” Mangesldorf said, citing her reverence with the university’s flagship ideal of sifting and winnowing. “It has an incredible history of excellence across many disciplines, it has a tremendous history of standing up for academic freedom.”
As both provost and vice chancellor, Mangelsdorf will oversee university curriculum, diversity initiatives, enrollment and campus life for students and faculties.
Mangelsdorf said it is her prior experience with multiple higher education institutions—joking she is “doing a tour of the Big Ten,” as she also worked at the University of Illinois and University of Michigan, and received her PhD from the University of Minnesota—that will act as her biggest asset in tackling the new position.
While she acknowledged Madison is a different campus with different issues, she said the interactions and exposure she has had working with other larger institutions will carry over to the impending opportunities she will face at UW.
The new leader also added she intends to continue with DeLuca’s efforts to increase UW-Madison’s diversity, an element of a campus environment she said she feels is vital.
“I think in order for our educational institutions to really be what they should be we need to have a diverse student body,” Mangelsdorf said. “I believe it’s key to the educational mission.”
With student relationships being a strong foundation of the provost position, Mangelsdorf said she plans to look to the Associated Students of Madison as her link to the university’s large student population.
However, Mangelsdorf said she does not want students to hesitate to approach her and strike up a conversation; you may even get the chance to show her how to jump around at the next Badger game.
