Eric Wilcots, dean of the College of Letters & Science, will step in as University of Wisconsin-Madison’s interim chancellor at the end of the school year.
Wilcots will begin the role May 17, taking over for Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, who is leaving UW-Madison for a job as president of Columbia University.
“I have every confidence that Eric will steer the university with strong vision and clear-headed leadership, even amid challenging headwinds,” Mnookin said in a statement.
Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman announced Wilcots’ appointment Feb. 11, saying “he is the right person to continue to carry UW-Madison forward.”
“Dean Wilcots is an energetic leader who will continue the positive momentum at our flagship while we search for a permanent successor to Chancellor Mnookin,” Rothman said. “He is extraordinarily well respected across the campus and has a deep knowledge of the university.”
Wilcots began working at UW-Madison in 1995 and held several roles before becoming the university’s College of Letters & Science dean in May 2020. In that position, Wilcots oversees UW-Madison’s largest academic unit. Wilcots is also a professor of astronomy. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a doctorate from the University of Washington.
Wilcots will serve as chancellor on a temporary basis while the university searches for Mnookin’s permanent replacement, a process that will begin later this year. Mnookin announced in January she would step down from the role after 3½ years in the position.
As interim chancellor, Wilcots will lead an institution with a nearly $5 billion operating budget and more than 50,000 students. He’ll also assume the position amid the Trump administration’s reshaping of higher education.
The university has lost at least $27 million in federal research money since President Donald Trump upended the funding landscape in academia, Mnookin said in her annual address to the UW Board of Regents this month. Agencies sent stop-work orders or terminated 143 UW-Madison grants, about a third of which have been reinstated as a result of ongoing litigation.
The administration has also curbed the number of international students on campuses by revoking student visas, increasing the vetting process and banning travelers from certain countries. These restrictive policies led to about 500 fewer international students at UW-Madison this year.
The financial uncertainty and enrollment pressures led UW-Madison to implement budget cuts heading into this school year.
“I am both humbled and honored to be asked to serve in this leadership role at such a consequential time in UW-Madison’s history,” Wilcots said.
Mnookin said she will work with Wilcots “to ensure a seamless leadership transition.”
UW-Madison is also searching for a new provost to serve as second in command to the chancellor. The former provost, Charles Isbell Jr., resigned last year to become chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and vice president of the University of Illinois System.
Mnookin said the university will name the new provost in March; whoever is hired will choose a dean to temporarily lead the College of Letters & Science while Wilcots takes over as interim chancellor.
Kayla Huynh covers K-12 education, teachers and solutions for the Journal Sentinel. Contact: khuynh@gannett.com. Follow her on X: @_kaylahuynh.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Eric Wilcots named interim chancellor after Mnookin leaves UW-Madison
Reporting by Kayla Huynh, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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