MADISON, Wis. (Diya TV) — University of Wisconsin–Madison Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin will depart the state’s flagship campus at the end of the academic year to become the next president of Columbia University, stepping into one of the most closely watched leadership roles in American higher education.
Mnookin, a nationally recognized legal scholar, has served as chancellor since August 2022. She will remain in the role through spring commencement before assuming the Columbia presidency on July 1, according to statements from the Universities of Wisconsin and Columbia University. She becomes Columbia’s fifth leader in four years, following a period marked by campus protests, leadership turnover and intense federal scrutiny.
During her relatively brief tenure in Madison, Mnookin presided over measurable gains in student success, access, research standing and philanthropy, according to university data and federal surveys. Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman credited her with bringing “unbounded energy, resilience, and deeply thoughtful leadership” to UW–Madison, adding that an interim chancellor will be named soon while a national search for a permanent successor begins later this year.
“It has been a true honor to be a part of the Wisconsin family,” Mnookin said in a statement, calling her time in Madison “life-changing” and pledging to work closely with university leaders to ensure a smooth transition.
One of Mnookin’s earliest and most visible priorities was affordability. She launched Bucky’s Pell Pathway, which guarantees full financial support for Pell Grant-eligible Wisconsin students, covering tuition, fees and living expenses. Since its inception, more than 7,800 students have benefited, according to the university. She later introduced the Wisconsin Tribal Educational Promise, which covers the full in-state cost of attendance for undergraduates from federally recognized Wisconsin tribes, with pilot extensions into law and medical programs. About 100 students have participated since 2024, the university reported.
Student outcomes improved alongside access. The six-year graduation rate rose to a record 89.5%, and the average time to degree dropped to 3.78 years for recent undergraduates, the lowest on record, according to UW–Madison figures. Nearly two-thirds of undergraduates completed their degrees debt-free in 2024–25, another high point.
Mnookin also leaned heavily into research and innovation. In early 2024, she launched the Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) initiative, focusing on artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability and human health. The plan calls for 250 new faculty hires; roughly half were in place by the end of 2025, the university said.
That push coincided with a rebound in federal research standing. UW–Madison ranked among the top five U.S. universities in annual research expenditures for the first time in more than a decade, according to the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey. The university reported more than $1.9 billion in research spending in fiscal year 2024, its highest level since 2014 (National Science Foundation HERD Survey).
Philanthropy followed. More than 127,000 donors committed $1.6 billion through the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association during Mnookin’s tenure, university officials said. Construction cranes became a familiar sight, with major projects including Morgridge Hall — future home of a proposed College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence — and multiple engineering and athletic facilities underway.
Mnookin’s leadership also unfolded amid political and social pressure. She helped negotiate a 2023 legislative agreement that released state funds for employee pay raises and a new engineering building. After the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, she moved to support students while clarifying campus policies on expression, according to university statements.
At Columbia, she arrives as the Ivy League institution works to stabilize after protests tied to the Israel-Hamas war, federal penalties and a $220 million settlement with the Trump administration to restore canceled research funding, according to previous reporting. Her predecessor, Nemat Shafik, resigned in 2024, followed by another leadership departure months later.
Mnookin, 58, previously served as dean of the UCLA School of Law and held faculty appointments at the University of Virginia and Harvard. She earned degrees from Harvard University, Yale Law School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
