Biddy Martin, provost of Cornell University, has been named the best candidate to be the next UW-Madison chancellor, UW System President Kevin Reilly announced Wednesday.

“In her years at Cornell, Dr. Martin has established a reputation for strong, effective and strategic leadership,” Reilly said in a statement. “As the provost of New York’s land-grant research university, she has wide-ranging experience with all of the roles UW-Madison must play in the life of this state, the nation and the world. She is someone who appreciates fully the importance of education to the future of American society, and conveys that message to others with a high degree of passion and credibility.”

Martin was selected out of three finalists including UW-Madison College of Letters & Sciences Dean Gary Sandefur and Rebecca Blank, former dean of University of Michigan's school of public policy. A fourth finalist, University of Minnesota's Vice President for Research Timothy Mulcahy withdrew from consideration May 22.

“I am thrilled to be recommended as the next chancellor of UW-Madison, one of the world's truly great public universities and my graduate alma mater,” Martin said in a statement. “I am grateful to the Regents, President Reilly and the search committee for this opportunity, and humbled that they would entrust me with this tremendous responsibility. It is a real honor to be selected from such a strong pool of candidates, and a privilege to join Wisconsin’s corps of respected campus chancellors.”

Word of Martin's recommendation spread through the campus and state Wednesday.

"Through wise and dedicated leadership, the University of Wisconsin has grown to become our country's largest public research institution, and I welcome Dr. Martin to a role that is so vital to our state," Gov. Jim Doyle said in a statement. "I am confident that she will use her expertise to carry UW-Madison, her alma mater, forward."

Martin's appointment will be voted on by the full Board of Regents in early June. If approved, Martin will replace current Chancellor John Wiley when he steps down in September.

“I look forward to working with the faculty, staff and students at UW-Madison to uphold the traditions and values of this great university,” Martin said. “Together with my graduate education at the UW, my 24 years at Cornell have prepared me well for this new path, and I am deeply grateful to all my Cornell colleagues who have supported me along the way.”