Gillaspy to move into new rural leadership role

Glenda Gillaspy, 14th dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, will shift roles to become director of the Wisconsin Rural Partnerships Institute starting July 12.

After four years leading the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dean and Director Glenda Gillaspy has announced she will move into a new role serving as the university's director of the Wisconsin Rural Partnerships Institute.

"I am excited to take on this new role at UW-Madison and continue to build on the partnerships between the university and Wisconsin's outstanding agriculture community, and the important extramural, multi-disciplinary research that is so vital to our state," Gillaspy says. "Leading CALS has been an honor and privilege, and I am grateful to the many talented and dedicated staff, students and faculty who make CALS one of the top land-grant colleges in the nation."

The change will take effect on July 12, 2026. Provost John Zumbrunnen will announce the appointment of an interim dean in the near future.

"I appreciate Glenda's efforts to revitalize the CALS commitment to undergraduate education, advance our land-grant mission and modernize various aspects of the college's administrative operations," says Provost John Zumbrunnen. "I am deeply grateful for her willingness to lean into her new role. Her engagement as director of the Wisconsin Rural Partnerships Institute will move our campus connections with rural Wisconsin forward. Her work in this new role will help serve as the basis for advancing our connections with the state, in keeping with the institution's strategic priorities and in the spirit of Wisconsin Idea."

Gillaspy, the 14th dean in the college's history, came to UW-Madison in 2022 from Virginia Tech, where she was a professor of biochemistry and served as department head. Under her leadership, CALS saw undergraduate student recruitment increase by more than 30%, and enrollment for undergraduates grow by more than 27%.

Gillaspy worked to enhance the student experience at the college, creating an embedded mental health care provider for students within the college, and she worked to create new academic opportunities for CALS students, expanding the college's pre-health offerings for undergraduates, bringing the Center for Patient Partnerships to the college, as well as a new Health Careers pathway position.

Gillaspy's tenure as dean also saw a focus on the college's land-grant mission, including a revitalization and restructuring of the agricultural animal research units at CALS Research Stations to maintain the fiscal stability of these important community resources well into the future. She also maintained the college's strong working partnership with the Division of Extension and relationships with alumni and donors.

"As she moves into this new role, I'm grateful for Glenda's four years of service to CALS and, by extension, the entire state of Wisconsin," says interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots.

The Wisconsin Rural Partnerships Institute (RPI) is a USDA-funded program with a mission to conduct research and outreach to maintain the social and economic vitality of rural communities. Wisconsin RPI includes seven schools and colleges at UW-Madison, as well as pre-college programs, with projects spread across Wisconsin.