The University of Wisconsin System announced Thursday that a committee dedicated to finding candidates to replace University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank had been formed.
Blank will be leaving her position at the end of the spring semester to become president of Northwestern University.
The Search and Screen Committee is slated to convene beginning in December and begin the search process in January. UW System Media Relations Director Mark Pitsch stressed that there is no set timeline for when the search process will be completed.
UW Board of Regents President Edmund Manydeeds III outlined why choosing a new chancellor is such a big job.
“Chancellor Blank has done a tremendous job, and I anticipate her successor will build on her many accomplishments,” Manydeeds said.
The 21-member committee was appointed by Manydeeds and UW System President Tommy Thompson. Members of the committee include Regents, students, faculty and staff, and community representatives.
Three UW-Madison students, Ndemazea Fonkem, Aerin Leigh Lammers and Luis Gonzalez-Quizhpe were selected to be a part of the committee. Both Fonkem and Lammers are members of the Associated Students of Madison (ASM), UW-Madison’s student governance body.
This array of viewpoints will be paramount in keeping the best interest of both the university and the state in mind as they select and interview candidates for the position, Regent Vice President and chair of the selection committee Karen Walsh said.
Candidates will be found through a joint effort between the Search and Screen Committee, a team from the UW System Human Resources department, the Office of the Board of Regents and the executive search firm AGB Search.
After finding potential candidates, the committee will interview them and forward them to a Special Regents Committee for review. The next chancellor will have to be affirmed by the entire Board of Regents.
