Columbia University selects UW-Madison Chancellor Mnookin as its next president

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.

“As she now takes on a new opportunity at another prestigious institution, we extend our substantial gratitude for her service and wish her continued success in the years ahead,” Rothman wrote.

Mnookin will remain in her role through the spring commencement, Rothman said.

In a statement, Mnookin said her time in Madison has been an honor. “I am proud of what we have accomplished together, even in a challenging period for higher education, and I know great possibilities lie ahead for the UW–Madison campus community,” she stated.

Rothman said he will appoint an interim chancellor before the Board of Regents launches a search for a permanent successor later this year. Mnookin said she would work with Rothman and the board to ensure a smooth transition.

Under Mnookin’s brief leadership at UW-Madison, the university now ranks fifth in the nation for university research expenditures and surpassed $1.93 billion in research investment in 2024, its highest ranking since 2014, according to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey.

She also committed to increasing access to the university through Bucky’s Pell Pathway and Bucky’s Tuition Promise, the programs significantly expanding the number of in-state students receiving funding to cover the cost of attending school.

“Throughout her service, Chancellor Mnookin strengthened UW–Madison’s role as a powerful economic engine for the state,” Rothman wrote. “Together with affiliated startups, the university contributed more than $30.8 billion in economic activity and graduated thousands of students each year who entered the workforce prepared to lead and innovate.”

Regent President Amy Bogost also issued a statement Sunday saying Mnookin’s mark on the university will resonate for generations.

“From the beginning of her tenure, there were many difficult times that would have shaken even the most talented leaders,” Bogost said. “Yet Chancellor Mnookin was remarkable in how she steered the University of Wisconsin with a steady hand through treacherous times, with the ability to bring the community together. She is a leader that inspires all around her to do their best, deeply committed to our students.”

Before coming to Wisconsin, Mnookin served as dean of the UCLA School of Law, where she spent 17 years on the faculty. Before that, she was a professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law and a visiting professor of law at Harvard Law School.

Mnookin received her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a law degree from Yale Law School, and a Ph.D. in history and social study of science and technology from MIT.

Her appointment to lead the Ivy League university comes after a tumultuous two years on its campus, including federal financial penalties and leadership turnover.