Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin Named President of Columbia University
She will assume office on July 1st.
Columbia University has selected University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin to be its next president, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Mnookin will depart at the end of the academic year, according to an announcement from UW-Madison. Universities of Wisconsin president Jay Rothman will name an interim leader soon and the search for a permanent replacement will begin later this year.
Rothman said, “During her tenure, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin brought unbounded energy, resilience and deeply thoughtful leadership to this great university. 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.”
Mnookin said in the announcement, “My time at UW–Madison has been life-changing and so much of that is attributable to the talented and deeply committed faculty, students and staff who call our institution home, and who strive to bring the Wisconsin Idea to life.”
“Jennifer will be an exceptional leader for Columbia’s future,” said David J. Greenwald and Jeh C. Johnson, Co-Chairs of the Columbia University Board of Trustees. “She is a distinguished scholar who now leads a complex institution with clarity and vision. She understands the essential role that higher education and research play in advancing knowledge, serving the public good, and addressing our most pressing challenges.
Mnookin assumed office as Chancellor in 2022 after previously serving as dean of the University of California-Los Angeles Law School. She graduated from Harvard University, Yale Law School, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mnookin’s tenure included the 2024 anti-Israel encampment, the launch of the Wisconsin Exchange, and the dissolution of the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Educational Achievement.
Expanding dialogue across differences has been a major goal for Mnookin at UW-Madison. She said in an interview with The Madison Federalist last year, “I think that the critiques of universities, including ours, for not embracing pluralism have more than a grain of truth. And, I think, sometimes, the critics of our universities overstate by anecdote.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated as details emerge.