University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced Thursday that College of Letters & Science Dean Eric Wilcots will serve as interim provost beginning April 24 until a permanent provost is appointed.
This follows the departure of former Provost John Karl Scholz, who announced his acceptance of the position of president at the University of Oregon. He has served as provost since August 2019.
“It is a remarkable benefit to UW–Madison to have a well-respected, talented administrator and leader like Eric Wilcots step into this critical role on an interim basis,” Mnookin stated in a press release. “While we will certainly miss Karl’s leadership, Eric will do a tremendous job as interim provost through this transitional period, and I’m grateful for his willingness to serve.”
Wilcots originally served as interim dean of the College of Letters & Science in August 2019 and was named dean in May 2020.
“We are currently working through the details of the leadership transition while I serve as interim provost,” Wilcots explained in an email to L&S students. “I'll share more about that in a future message, but please trust that we have an amazingly talented team and the college will continue full-speed ahead.”
The selection process for the provost position has already begun with four finalists visiting campus next week, according to Wilcots. The final decision is expected to be made in late summer.
Ellie Bourdo is the features editor for The Daily Cardinal. Ellie previously served as associate news editor, where she specialized in breaking news and University of Wisconsin-System news reporting. She also works at WisPolitics. Follow Ellie on Twitter at @elliebourdo.
