Searches for new UWs leadership are underway (news summary)

The concurrent searches for new leaders for the Universities of Wisconsin and the system's flagship UW-Madison are well underway, the Board of Regents heard today at a virtual meeting.

Regent President Kyle Weatherly told board members that since the board's last meeting in June, the search committees for both positions have each held a series of public listening sessions, reviewed feedback, developed a prospectus, and officially opened the positions for applications.

For the UWs Presidential Search, applications or nominations may be submitted to the search firm AGB Search, with the application deadline for fullest consideration August 31.

Regent Vice President Ashok Rai, chair of the presidential search committee, further reported that significant input was received during the listening sessions as well as in meetings with elected officials. "We're looking forward now to reviewing applications," Rai said.

For the UW-Madison Chancellor position, applications or nominations may be submitted to the search firm Isaacson Miller, with the deadline for fullest consideration September 10.

Regent Amy Bogost, committee chair for the UW-Madison search, also reported receiving important feedback from constituents. "We're excited for a great pool of applicants and getting a new chancellor for UW-Madison," she said.

Weatherly said updates will be provided as both searches progress.

New leaders welcomed

The Board recognized and welcomed new leadership at several UW universities, including Eric Wilcots, interim chancellor at UW-Madison; Robert Brinkmann, 16^th chancellor at UW-Stevens Point; and Ed Martini, 9^th chancellor at UW-Eau Claire.

UWs interim President Renée Wachter also thanked Pratima Gandhi and Mike Carney for stepping up to serve as interim chancellors at UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire, respectively.

Regents also welcomed new Provosts Josh Garrison at UW-Oshkosh, Amy Clark at UW-River Falls, and Pieter De Hart at UW-Whitewater.

In addition, the Board recognized the service of colleague Regent Jack Salzwedel, who is stepping down from the Board. His service will be more formally commemorated at a later meeting.

Report of the Board President

In his first report to the Board, Weatherly thanked Regents for stepping up to chair or vice chair various committees or sit on other boards where Regents may hold ex-officio positions, in addition to serving on the two leadership searches.

"But it is not just Regents who have stepped up. It is also everyone across the Universities of Wisconsin," Weatherly said. "We have had a lot of change the last several months - in executives, in Regents, in committees, and throughout the entire organization. This means more work and less certainty for everyone. I would want to thank everyone for their work and commitment to students and the state."

Weatherly also reported on the most recent Regent Business Partnership Awards that were presented last month to UW-Green Bay and Security-Luebke Roofing. Security-Luebke is led by President and owner Shannon Alberts, a 1999 alumnus of UW-Green Bay, a committed donor and supporter, and long-time fan of Phoenix Athletics.

"Security-Luebke Roofing stands as a powerful example of resilience, growth and people-first leadership in Northeast Wisconsin," Weatherly said. "The company is a vital contributor to the Northeast Wisconsin area, strengthening the local workforce, supporting families and setting a standard for what a values-driven business can achieve. And these are all qualities that UW-Green Bay salutes and is proud to partner with."

Report of the UWs President

In her report to the Board, UWs interim President Renée Wachter provided an update on current budget deliberations for the 2027-29 biennium and noted that the UWs are currently engaged in active consultation and discussions with stakeholders.

"This, obviously, is a high priority. Inherent in our mission as a public university, we are here to serve the people and state of Wisconsin," Wachter said. "As an extraordinary asset for Wisconsin, our Universities of Wisconsin are approaching the upcoming state budget proposal as an opportunity to work with our state partners to help solve some of the biggest challenges ahead."

In serving that mission, she added that "the Universities of Wisconsin are helping more people gain the skills, education, and experience needed to build successful careers, start businesses, and strengthen communities. Our budget proposal is in service of meeting these demands."

Providing access to a UW education is a critical part of the mission and Wachter pointed to the Direct Admit Wisconsin program as showing significant promise in expanding the enrollment pool in recent years.

Direct Admit Wisconsin offers early and proactive admission to the 10 participating UW universities to high school juniors at participating Wisconsin high schools. The UWs collaborate with these high schools to review student academic records at the end of their junior year and make offers of admission to participating UW universities without the need for students to submit a traditional admission application.

"It is delivering on the promise," Wachter said. She told Regents that as part of UW-Madison's SSTAR Lab's evaluation of our Wisconsin Tuition Promise, students who were eligible for the Wisconsin Tuition Promise and were admitted through Direct Admit Wisconsin were asked questions about how much Direct Admit Wisconsin influenced them.

When asked how much Direct Admit made them more likely to stay in Wisconsin for college, 77% responded with "quite a bit" or "a great deal." Asked further how much Direct Admit made them more likely to enroll in a four-year immediately after high school, 67% replied positively.

Wachter noted that between August and October, approximately 40,000 offers of admission are expected to be sent out for the 10 participating UW universities for enrollment in fall 2027. She thanked the high school partners as well as colleagues at the UW universities and the system for their work in this effort.

Wachter also shared the news that the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy & Service - better known as WIPPS - which was previously headquartered within the Division of University Relations at UW Administration was recently relocated to the UW-Eau Claire campus.

WIPPS is designed to embody the Wisconsin Idea by conducting research and service projects on important local issues to help address community or regional needs and advances work that promotes civic engagement, public dialogue and freedom of expression.

"With that goal in mind, being headquartered at UW-Eau Claire will move this work closer to students and expand the communities they serve across central and western Wisconsin," Wachter said.

Lastly, Wachter offered brief updates on the federal front. She noted that while Congress continues to work to address FY27 appropriations, much of the focus in the higher education sector during the past summer recess continues to be on rule making.

Earlier this month, the Department of Education released the new Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability rule stemming from H.R.1, otherwise known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

"We continue to await the next steps on the proposed changes to the Uniform Guidance, review the final Duration of Status Rule, which was released for pre-publication in the Federal Register just this morning, and expect rulemaking to begin on accreditation issues in the coming months," she said.

UW-Madison utilities update

In the Capital Planning & Budget committee, Regents heard an update on a recent disruption to the UW-Madison campus due to the rupture of a major chilled water transmission pipe adjacent to the university's Charter Street Heating and Cooling Plant on June 17. The pipe is part of the central utility system that provides cooling to much of the Madison campus, including academic buildings, research facilities, and four hospitals.

Deej Lundgren, Associate Vice President for Capital Planning & Budget, reported that campus staff responded immediately to isolate the damaged section of pipe and stabilize the system. Efforts focused on supporting healthcare operations, research activities, and other mission-critical functions. Working with partners at the State of Wisconsin, the campus rapidly secured temporary chilling equipment and implemented operational measures to reduce overall demand on the system.

"The repair effort itself is substantial," Lundgren said. "The damaged section of pipe has been removed, and work is underway to install a permanent replacement and restore the affected portion of the chilled water system. In parallel, UW-Madison and our partners are continuing to assess surrounding infrastructure and investigate the factors that contributed to the pipe rupture."

Repairs are expected to be completed before students return for the fall semester.

In other business, the Regents:

• In the Business & Finance Committee, received the 2026 Q1 investment report from the UW Office of Trust Funds. As of March 31, assets in the Long Term Fund and Income Cash Fund totaled $701 million, a reduction to the portfolio of one percent that nonetheless slightly outperformed its benchmark. Assets in the Intermediate Term Fund totaled $791 million after returning a negative half-percent, performing in-line with its benchmark;
• In the Business & Finance Committee, received the Cost-Benefit Analysis of Foundations and Associated Affiliated Organizations Report for fiscal year 2024-25. The report notes that 70 foundations and affiliated organizations supported the missions of the UWs during that period. The universities received a total of over $624 million from primary fundraising foundations - an increase of over 18% from the previous year - while providing $11.8 million in administrative support to these organizations;
• Approved the allocation of 2025-27 Classroom Renovation/Instructional Technology Improvement Program funds, authorizing construction of the UW-Green Bay - Athletic Training and Cadaver Laboratory This project relocates and constructs a new athletic training instructional laboratory within the Kress Events Center and renovates the existing cadaver laboratory within the Laboratory Sciences Building to address program needs and building system deficiencies;
• Approved authority to increase the budget of and construct a central plant and utility distribution renovation project for the UW-Stevens Point - Fourth Street Utility Corridor. The increase is required to complete the originally approved project scope and intent;
• Approved authority to construct various maintenance and repair projects, including:
  • UW-Green Bay - Wood Hall Exterior Windows Replacement: The project replaces all exterior aluminum storefront systems along with associated doors, hardware, and accessories;
  • UW-Madison - Harlow Center Chiller Replacement: This project replaces two semi-hermetic chillers and associated cooling towers with two new air-cooled, 120-ton chiller units;
  • UW-Milwaukee - Sandburg Hall Parking Ramp Repairs & Plaza Deck Waterproofing: This project repairs the Sandburg Hall Parking Ramp concrete structure, traffic membrane, plaza deck, expansion joints, metal bollards, drainage system, and associated stairwells;
  • UW-Stevens Point - Maintenance & Materiel Building Switchgear, Transformer, and Generator Replacements: This project replaces the main building electrical switchgear, transformer, main switch, and emergency generator serving the Maintenance & Materiel Building;
  • UW-Stout Polytechnic - Sorenson Hall Roof Replacement: This project removes the original ballasted roofing, insulation, flashing, coping, and lightning protection on roof sections A1 and A2;
  • UW-Superior - Erlanson Hall Air Handling Unit Replacement: This project replaces the air handling and air-cooled condensing unit with a more efficient air handling unit;
  • UW-Whitewater - Upham Hall Deionized Water Line Replacement: This project replaces the deionized (pure) water system piping throughout Upham Hall;
  • UW-Stevens Point - Primary Electrical Cable Replacement - Phase I: This project replaces a portion of the 15kV primary electrical cabling between buildings. The project scope primarily iA
• Approved the demolition of the Child Care Center and the Regional Staff Development Center at UW-Parkside. Both facilities have been vacant since 2013-14, have not been actively maintained, and are now in derelict condition;
• Approved the construction of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Lab Renovation & Expansion-Barron project, modernizing the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory-Barron (WVDLBarron), creating a modern scientific facility that will meet the laboratory and space needs of the University, the State of Wisconsin, and the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP). This project constructs appropriate and safe laboratories, including a Biosafety (BSL) Level-2 and BSL-3 facility, and improves the inadequate and inappropriate office and support spaces in the facility;
• Authorized the new science and health sciences building at UW-Eau Claire be named the "Riverside Science Center," a descriptive name reflecting the building's prominent location along the Chippewa River and its function as a center for scientific research, teaching, and collaboration. UW-Eau Claire's new science and health sciences building is the largest capital construction project in the university's history;
• In the Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee, received a summary of audit progress for the Fiscal Year 2026 Audit Plan;
• In the Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee, received a report on Employee-Owned Businesses Contracting with Universities;
• Approved the UW System's internal audit plan, with interim progress reports, as provided by the Audit, Risk, and Compliance Committee;
• In the Audit, Risk & Compliance Committee, received a progress report on closing audit comments, as part of the responsibilities of the Office of Internal Audit to establish a follow-up process to monitor and identify whether corrective actions have been effectively implemented, or whether senior management has accepted the risk of not addressing its comment.

The next meeting of the Board of Regents for the Universities of Wisconsin is August 20-21, 2026, in Madison.